Stadionul Steaua (1974)

Steaua Stadium (Romanian: Stadionul Steaua), informally also known as Ghencea, was a football stadium in Bucharest, Romania, which served as the home of Steaua București. It was inaugurated on 9 April 1974 when Steaua played a friendly game against OFK Belgrade, 2–2.[1]

This article is about the stadium that was opened in 1974 and demolished in 2018. For for the new stadium, see Stadionul Steaua (2020).

Steaua
Ghencea
Templul ("The Temple")
Stadionul Steaua
Location45 Ghencea Blvd., Sector 6, Ghencea, Bucharest, Romania
OwnerMinisterul Apărării Naționale al României
Capacity28,365 (Football)
SurfaceGrass
Construction
Opened9 April 1974
Renovated1996
Demolished2018
Construction cost€20 million
ArchitectMinisterul Apărării Naționale al României
Tenants
CSA Steaua București (1974–2003)
FC FCSB (2003–2015)
Romania national football team (1977–2009)
Unirea Urziceni (UCL matches) (2009–2010)

Tătaru II was the first player to score on the new stadium. First 11 of Steaua in that match was: Coman – Sătmăreanu, Sameș, Smărăndache, Cristache – Dumitru, Iovănescu – Pantea, Iordănescu, Năstase, Ion. Reserves: Haidu, Ionescu, Dumitru, Tătaru II and Răducanu.

The stadium was entirely demolished in 2018, and will be replaced with a new all-seater stadium expected to open in 2020.

History

At the time it was one of the first football-only stadiums ever built in Romania, as there are no athletic (track and field) facilities, and the stands are very close to the pitch.

The original capacity was 30,000 on benches, but in 1991 when the plastic seats were installed, the capacity dropped to 28,365,[2] along with 126 press seats, 440 seats in VIP boxes and 733 armchairs. The floodlighting system with a density of 1400 lux was inaugurated in 1991.[3]

The stadium was renovated in 1996 and 2006 in order to host UEFA Champions League.

Romanian national football team

The following national team matches were held in the stadium:

Important matches
Date Match Result Notes
09-04-1974 Steaua–Belgrade 2–2 A friendly game, the first ever played on Ghencea Stadium.
28-04-1974 Steaua–Brașov 2–2 First official match played on Ghencea Stadium.
23-03-1977 Romania–Turkey 4–0 A Balcanic Cup game. The first game played by Romania on Ghencea Stadium.
03-10-1979 Steaua–Young Boys 6–0 Steaua's largest win in European Cups.
16-04-1986 Steaua–Anderlecht 3–0 European Cup semifinal. Following this win, Steaua qualified for the European Cup final.
06-04-1988 Steaua–Benfica 0–0 European Cup semifinal.
07-12-1988 Steaua–Corvinul 11–0 Steaua's largest win in Liga I.
15-03-1989 Steaua–Göteborg 5–1 European Cup quarter-finals.
05-04-1989 Steaua–Galatasaray 4–0 European Cup semifinal. An important win for Steaua which virtually opened the door to the European Cup final.
15-11-1989 Romania–Denmark 3–1 Following this win, Romania qualified to 1990 FIFA World Cup, the first World Cup Romania attended in twenty years.
01-08-1991 Steaua–Brăila 2–0 A Divizia A game, in which occasion the installation night was inaugurated.
28-09-1991 Steaua–Bacău 4–1 A Divizia A game, in which occasion the floodlighting system was inaugurated.
13-09-1995 Steaua–Rangers 1–0 First match won in UEFA Champions League new format.
04-04-1998 Steaua–Dinamo 5–0 A Divizia A game, Steaua's largest win against Dinamo.
31-05-1998 Greece U21–Spain U21 0–1 A 1998 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship Final.
25-02-2005 Steaua–Valencia 2–0 Steaua won 4–3 on penalty shootout, and thus Steaua qualified for the Round of 16 of the UEFA Cup.
Many consider this game, the most important win of the past 15 years, marking the beginning of "a new era" for the Romanian side.
07-04-2007 Steaua–Dinamo 2–4 A Divizia A game, in which occasion the new scoreboard was inaugurated.
24-11-2009 Urziceni–Sevilla 1–0 A UEFA Champions League game. First home victory for a Romanian team in the Champions League after 13 years.
  • Official Stand in 2010
  • Half-time at Ghencea
  • Steaua vs. U Craiova
  • Unirea Urziceni in Champions League
  • Unirea Urziceni vs. Zenit Sankt Petersburg
  • Steaua vs. Dinamo
  • Steaua fans at Ghencea
  • Stadium main entrance
  • Stadionul Ghencea in 2007
A panorama of Stadionul Ghencea as seen from Peluza Nord in 2007

See also

References
  1. Steaua
  2. "Stadion". SteauaFC.com.
  3. "The added capacity of Stadionul Steaua". SteauaFC.com. Archived from the original on 1 April 2007. Retrieved 11 June 2007.
Preceded by
Barcelona		 1998 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
Final Venue
1998		 Succeeded by
Bratislava
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