| Primvs derby | |
| Other Names: | Unicul derby |
| City Or Region: | Muntenia, Romania |
| First Contested: | 1 November 1931 Romanian Football Championship |
| Mostrecent: | 29 July 2024 Liga I |
| Nextmeeting: | 30 November 2024 Liga I |
| Stadiums: | Ilie Oană Stadium (Petrolul) Valentin Stănescu Stadium (Rapid) |
| Largestvictory: | 22 September 1963 Divizia A |
The Primvs derby, also known as Unicul derby (English: The One derby), is a football derby match between Romanian clubs Rapid București and Petrolul Ploiești. It is called Primvs derby because one of the earliest rivalries in Romanian football was between Petrolul's predecessor Juventus București and CFR București (the original name of Rapid București), a rivalry which dates back to the interwar period.[1] This intense inter-city rivalry occurs at least twice a year through league fixtures and it has extended to the Romanian Cup as well. The history of both clubs is intertwined as they have alternated between competing for top honors during their peak periods and facing challenges like bankruptcy or relegation to the Second Division during their lows. Both have also fought one another to earn promotion back to the First Division in efforts to reclaim their status as leading clubs.
Petrolul Ploiești was established in 1924 in Bucharest as Juventus, following the merger of Triumf and Romcomit, and played their home games at Romcomit Stadium.[2] Rapid București, originally known as CFR București, was founded in 1923 by employees of the Grivița workshops.[3] The two teams first faced each other on November 1, 1931, in the Bucharest regional championship, with the match ending in a 3-3 draw.
After World War II, both teams underwent several name changes due to the rise of the communist regime in Romania. Juventus, which became Flacăra București, was relocated 60 km north to Ploiești in 1952. In November 1957, Rapid București reverted to its current traditional name, and in December 1958, the Ploiești-based club adopted the name Petrolul.
One of the most notable chapters in the Rapid vs. Petrolul rivalry occurred during the championship battles of the 1960s. In the 1965-1966 season, both clubs were at their zenith, vying for the Romanian championship. Under the guidance of coach Constantin Cernăianu, Petrolul Ploiești emerged victorious, securing their last league title by finishing ahead of Rapid București, who placed second. A pivotal moment of that season was Petrolul's 1-0 home win against Rapid, with Virgil Dridea scoring directly from a corner kick, a goal that played a decisive role in their title run.[4]
Rapid exacted revenge the following season, securing their first championship after a crucial 0-0 draw against Petrolul in Ploiești, thanks to a stalwart performance led by goalkeeper Rică Răducanu. This memorable match is also noted for the large contingent of Rapid supporters, including the famous folk singer Ioana Radu, who traveled to Ploiești and upheld their promise to walk back to Bucharest if their team triumphed.[5]
In the 1973-1974 season, both Rapid București and Petrolul Ploiești faced setbacks, being relegated to the second tier. From 1978 to 1982, they competed in the same division, with the 1981-1982 season being particularly fierce and exciting. During this period, the first place alternated between these two stalwarts of Romanian football. A crucial match saw Petrolul win 1-0 at home against Rapid, thanks to a 78th-minute goal from midfielder Ion Ștefănescu, putting them 2 points ahead at the top of the table.The climax of this rivalry occurred in the spring of 1982 at Stadionul Steaua, in front of 35,000 spectators, with only five games remaining in the season. Rapid triumphed with a decisive 5-1 victory.[6] Despite this, Petrolul ultimately won the league, finishing 2 points ahead and securing promotion to the First Division. Another landmark match between the two teams is the final of the Romanian Cup in 1995, at the end of which Petrolul won the second cup in their history, after defeating Rapid on penalty kicks. It was a controversial final which fueled the rivalry for years to come. Petrolul took the lead in the 82nd minute with a goal from Andreicuț, only for Iulian Chiriță to equalize for Rapid five minutes later. Chiriță's goal was controversial, as he appeared to be clearly offside, but the assistant referee, Zoltan Erdey, did not call it. Rumors circulated that referees, possibly influenced by illicit connections with then-club president George Copos, were favoring Rapid, but these allegations were never proven and have since become part of football folklore among fans.[7]
The early 2000s saw both teams in first league, until Petrolul's relegation at the end of the 2003-2004 season. The first decade of the 2000s marked one of the most successful periods in Rapid's history. Rapid clinched their third title in the 2002-2003 season, along with three Romanian Cups (2002, 2006, 2007), three Romanian Supercups (2002, 2003, 2007), and reached the UEFA Cup quarterfinals. During this time, matches between Petrolul and Rapid were largely one-sided, favoring the Bucharest club. Petrolul, on the other hand, spent seven years struggling in the Second Division. After earning promotion in 2011, they experienced modest success, notably winning their fourth cup in 2013 by defeating CFR Cluj 1-0 in the final. Nonetheless, the period following this achievement was marked by severe financial troubles for both clubs. These financial issues culminated in both Petrolul and Rapid declaring bankruptcy in the summer of 2016, seemingly bringing an end to their 80-year rivalry.[8] [9]
However, both teams managed to re-form and recover. By October 2019, more than four years after their last match, they met again in the second league, with Rapid securing a 1-0 victory.[10] Rapid returned to Liga I in 2021, followed by Petrolul a year later, reigniting their historic rivalry at the top level of Romanian football.
| Competition | Petrolul | Rapid | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liga I / Divizia A | 4 | 3 | |
| Liga II / Divizia B | 9 | 6 | |
| Liga III | 1 | 1 | |
| Liga IV | 1 | 1 | |
| Cupa României | 3 | 13 | |
| Cupa Ligii | 0 | 1 | |
| Supercupa României | 0 | 4 | |
| UEFA Champions League / European Cup | 0 | 0 | |
| Balkans Cup | 0 | 2 | |
| Total | 18 | 31 |
| Total matches played | Rapid wins | Draws | Petrolul wins | Rapid goals | Petrolul goals | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bucharest district championship | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 3 | |
| Bucharest championship | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 4 | |
| Divizia A | 92 | 45 | 21 | 26 | 132 | 91 | |
| Liga I | 11 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 6 | |
| Total (league) | 107 | 50 | 28 | 29 | 151 | 104 | |
| Cupa României | 13 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 36 | 16 | |
| Divizia B | 8 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 9 | 12 | |
| Liga II | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Total (official) | 131 | 63 | 30 | 38 | 197 | 134 |
Dates are in dd/mm/yyyy form
| Season | Competition | No. | Date | Home team | Score | Away Team | Goals (home) | Goals (away) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1931–32[11] | Bucharest district championship | 1 | 1 November 1931 | Juventus | CFR | V. Chiroiu (30, 71), Gebrovsky (38) | Melchior (20), A. Bărbulescu, Carianopol | |
| 2 | 17 April 1932 | CFR | Juventus | V. Chiroiu, Baciu, T. Chiroiu, Gebrovsky | — | |||
| 1934–35[12] | Divizia A | 3 | 9 September 1934 | CFR | Juventus | Medve, Țepeneag | Zăinescu | |
| 4 | 25 May 1935 | Juventus | CFR | Melchior (25), Palmer, Cossini (55 – o. g.) | Brandabura (19 – o. g.), Ströck (23), Șt. Barbu (46), Gh. Georgescu (68) | |||
| 1935–36[13] | Divizia A | 5 | 14 September 1935 | Juventus | CFR | Korony (8) | Cuedan (30), Pal (38), Gh. Georgescu | |
| 6 | 14 March 1936 | CFR | Juventus | Șt. Barbu (1), Boros (45), I. Moldoveanu (53), L. Pal | R. De Vittor | |||
| 1936–37[14] | Divizia A | 7 | 26 September 1936 | Juventus | CFR | R. De Vittor | I. Bogdan (X2), I. Moldoveanu, Auer. | |
| 8 | 21 May 1937 | Rapid | Juventus | I. Bogdan (X2), Auer, Baratky | Vaida, Zăinescu | |||
| 1938–39[15] | Divizia A | 9 | 27 August 1938 | Rapid | Juventus | — | Prassler (58) | |
| 10 | 30 April 1939 | Juventus | Rapid | — | I. Moldoveanu (56), Baratky (77, 86), Cossini | |||
| 1939–40[16] | Divizia A | 11 | 3 December 1939 | Juventus | Rapid | Prassler (62, 89 p.) | I. Bogdan (49), Auer (63 p.) | |
| 12 | 9 June 1940 | Rapid | Juventus | Baratky, Auer (30, 49), I. Bogdan (46) | Drăgan (70) | |||
| 1940–41[17] | Cupa României QF | 13 | 25 May 1941 | Rapid | Juventus | Baratky (34, 60), I. Bogdan (51, 70), Ritter (60) | Naciu (90) | |
| 1942–43[18] | Cupa României R16 | 14 | 16 May 1943 | Rapid | Juventus | F. Radu (41, 53, 71, 88) | — | |
| 1945–46[19] | Bucharest championship | 15 | 4 November 1945 | Juventus | CFR | Flamaropol (20), Stoian (85) | F. Radu (18, 32), I. Mihăilescu (73) | |
| 16 | 14 April 1946 | CFR | Juventus | I. Lungu (32), Socec (42) | E. Iordache (4), Oană (22) | |||
| 1946–47[20] | Divizia A | 17 | 8 December 1946 | CFR | Juventus | — | Flamaropol (39) | |
| 18 | 15 June 1947 | Juventus | CFR | C. Popescu (8, 78) E. Iordache (20, 31), Flamaropol (22) | Tănăsescu (70) | |||
| 1947–48[21] | Divizia A | 19 | 4 September 1947 | Juventus | CFR | Flamaropol (28, 33), E. Iordache (61) | I. Lungu (46), Filotti (71) | |
| 20 | 21 February 1948 | CFR | Distribuţia | Filotti (41), Tănăsescu (65) | — | |||
| 1948–49[22] | Divizia A | 21 | 27 November 1948 | CFR | Petrolul | I. Lungu (33) | C. Popescu (63) | |
| 22 | 2 July 1949 | Petrolul | CFR | Oană (16, 67), C. Popescu (23, 24) | I. Lungu (70) | |||
| 1950 | Divizia A | 23 | 23 April 1950 | Locomotiva | Partizanul | — | ||
| 24 | 14 October 1950 | Partizanul | Locomotiva | — | ||||
| 1951 | Divizia A | 25 | 6 May 1951 | Flacăra | Locomotiva | — | ||
| 26 | 30 September 1951 | Locomotiva | Flacăra | — | — |
| Season | Competition | No. | Date | Home team | Score | Away Team | Goals (home) | Goals (away) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952 | Cupa României R16 | 27 | 1 October 1952 | Locomotiva | Flacăra | |||
| 1954 | Divizia A | 28 | 16 May 1954 | Flacăra | Locomotiva | — | ||
| 29 | 24 October 1954 | Locomotiva | Flacăra | — | ||||
| 1955 | Cupa României R16 | 30 | 2 November 1955 | Locomotiva | Flacăra | |||
| 1956 | Divizia A | 31 | 29 April 1956 | Flacăra | Locomotiva | |||
| 32 | 23 September 1956 | Locomotiva | Energia Flacăra | |||||
| Cupa României QF | 33 | 25 November 1956 | Energia Flacăra | Locomotiva | ||||
| 1957–58 | Divizia A | 34 | 6 October 1957 | Locomotiva | Energia | — | — | |
| 35 | 18 May 1958 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | ||||
| 1958–59 | Divizia A | 36 | 9 November 1958 | Petrolul | Rapid | |||
| 37 | 24 May 1959 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | — | |||
| 1959–60 | Divizia A | 38 | 15 November 1959 | Petrolul | Rapid | |||
| 39 | 12 June 1960 | Rapid | Petrolul | |||||
| 1960–61 | Divizia A | 40 | 23 October 1960 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | — | |
| 41 | 7 May 1961 | Petrolul | Rapid | |||||
| Cupa României R16 | 42 | 30 August 1961 | Rapid | Petrolul | ||||
| 1961–62 | Divizia A | 43 | 26 November 1961 | Petrolul | Rapid | |||
| 44 | 2 July 1962 | Rapid | Petrolul | |||||
| 1962–63 | Divizia A | 45 | 26 August 1962 | Petrolul | Rapid | |||
| 46 | 24 March 1963 | Rapid | Petrolul | |||||
| 1963–64 | Divizia A | 47 | 22 September 1963 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | ||
| 48 | 12 April 1964 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | ||||
| 1964–65 | Divizia A | 49 | 29 November 1964 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | ||
| 50 | 11 April 1965 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | ||||
| 1965–66 | Divizia A | 51 | 29 August 1965 | Rapid | Petrolul | |||
| 52 | 31 March 1966 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | ||||
| Cupa României QF | 53 | 22 June 1966 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | |||
| 1966–67 | Divizia A | 54 | 19 February 1967 | Rapid | Petrolul | |||
| 55 | 11 June 1967 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | — | |||
| 1967–68 | Divizia A | 56 | 22 October 1967 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | ||
| 57 | 8 May 1968 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | ||||
| 1968–69 | Divizia A | 58 | 11 August 1968 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | — | |
| 59 | 9 March 1969 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | ||||
| 1969–70 | Divizia A | 60 | 3 December 1969 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | ||
| 61 | 15 March 1970 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | ||||
| 1970–71 | Divizia A | 62 | 13 September 1970 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | — | |
| 63 | 27 March 1971 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | ||||
| 1971–72 | Divizia A | 64 | 5 September 1971 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | ||
| 65 | 26 March 1972 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | ||||
| 1972–73 | Divizia A | 66 | 15 October 1972 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | ||
| 67 | 28 April 1973 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | ||||
| 1973–74 | Divizia A | 68 | 28 October 1973 | Petrolul | Rapid | |||
| 69 | 12 May 1974 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | ||||
| 1978–79 | Divizia B | 70 | 10 December 1978 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | ||
| 71 | 24 June 1979 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | ||||
| 1979–80 | Divizia B | 72 | 2 September 1979 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | ||
| 73 | 23 March 1980 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | ||||
| 1980–81 | Divizia B | 74 | 2 November 1980 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | ||
| 75 | 24 May 1981 | Rapid | Petrolul | |||||
| 1981–82 | Divizia B | 76 | 1 November 1981 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | ||
| 77 | 23 May 1982 | Rapid | Petrolul | |||||
| 1983–84 | Divizia A | 78 | 3 September 1983 | Petrolul | Rapid | |||
| 79 | 21 February 1984 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | ||||
| 1985–86 | Divizia A | 80 | 11 August 1985 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | ||
| 81 | 11 March 1986 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | ||||
| 1986–87 | Divizia A | 82 | 28 September 1986 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | ||
| 83 | 12 April 1987 | Rapid | Petrolul | |||||
| 1987–88 | Divizia A | 84 | 6 September 1987 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | ||
| 85 | 19 March 1988 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | — | |||
| 1990–91 | Divizia A | 86 | 28 November 1990 | Rapid | Petrolul | |||
| 87 | 16 June 1991 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | ||||
| 1991–92 | Divizia A | 88 | 24 November 1991 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | ||
| 89 | 24 May 1992 | FC Ploieşti | Rapid | — | — | |||
| 1992–93 | Divizia A | 90 | 16 August 1992 | FC Ploieşti | Rapid | |||
| 91 | 14 March 1993 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | ||||
| 1993–94 | Divizia A | 92 | 6 November 1993 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | ||
| 93 | 6 April 1994 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | ||||
| 1994–95 | Divizia A | 94 | 7 December 1994 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | — | |
| 95 | 14 June 1995 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | ||||
| Cupa României | 96 | 21 June 1995 | Petrolul | Rapid | ||||
| 1995–96 | Divizia A | 97 | 8 November 1995 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | ||
| 98 | 13 April 1996 | Petrolul | Rapid | |||||
| 1996–97 | Divizia A | 99 | 26 October 1996 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | ||
| 100 | 3 May 1997 | Petrolul | Rapid | |||||
| 1997–98 | Divizia A | 101 | 30 August 1997 | Rapid | Petrolul | |||
| 102 | 7 March 1998 | Petrolul | Rapid | |||||
| 1998–99 | Divizia A | 103 | 20 September 1998 | Rapid | Petrolul | |||
| 104 | 17 April 1999 | Petrolul | Rapid | |||||
| 1999–00[23] | Divizia A | 105 | 18 September 1999 | Rapid | Petrolul | Mutică (64), S. Radu (77) | — | |
| 106 | 1 April 2000 | Petrolul | Rapid | O. Grigore (19), Costescu (36), Irimescu (41), Pancovici (89) | Lupu (45 p.), Schumacher (60) | |||
| 2000–01[24] | Divizia A | 107 | 6 August 2000 | Rapid | Petrolul | Măldărășanu (14), Schumacher (55), Frăsineanu (60) | Orlando (36) | |
| 108 | 10 March 2001 | Petrolul | Rapid | Pârvu (40) | C. Barbu (88), Burke (90) | |||
| 2001–02[25] | Divizia A | 109 | 3 November 2001 | Rapid | Petrolul | Șumudică (55, 58), Raț (67), Bogdanovic (81) | Irimescu (83) | |
| 110 | 18 May 2002 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | Ilyés (44), Niță (75) | |||
| 2003–04[26] | Divizia A | 111 | 2 November 2003 | Rapid | Petrolul | S. Ilie (39, 68) | — | |
| 112 | 12 May 2004 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | Ilyés (26), I. Stancu (32) | |||
| 2005–06[27] | Cupa României SF | 113 | 22 March 2006 | Rapid | Petrolul | Pancu (37), D. Niculae (65), V. Moldovan (67), Burdujan (73) | Hadnagy (38) | |
| 114 | 26 April 2006 | Petrolul | Rapid | Stepanov (29), Donets (42), L. Marinescu (87) | D. Niculae (22), M. Constantin (48), Pancu (53) | |||
| 2008–09[28] | Cupa României R32 | 115 | 16 October 2008 | Rapid | Petrolul | Đalović (6), Césinha (80, 118) | Muțiu (22), Tincu (82 p.) | |
| 2010–11[29] | Cupa României R32 | 116 | 21 September 2010 | Rapid | Petrolul | Sburlea (15), Grigorie (17), António (19, 51), Césinha (81) | — | |
| 2011–12[30] | Liga I | 117 | 13 August 2011 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | Pancu (87) | |
| 118 | 11 March 2012 | Rapid | Petrolul | A. Ioniță I (27), Surdu (53) | — | |||
| 2012–13[31] | Liga I | 119 | 18 August 2012 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | — | |
| 120 | 9 March 2013 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | — | |||
| 2013–14[32] | Cupa României R16 | 121 | 31 October 2013 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | Doré (66), Romário Pires (72) | |
| 2014–15[33] | Liga I | 122 | 16 August 2014 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | — | |
| 123 | 13 March 2015 | Rapid | Petrolul | Săpunaru (60) | Teixeira (64) | |||
| 2019–20[34] | Liga II | 124 | 16 October 2019 | Rapid | Petrolul | B. Manole (80) | — | |
| 125 | 11 July 2020 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | — | |||
| 2020–21[35] | Liga II | 126 | 6 November 2020 | Petrolul | Rapid | Buhăescu (7), Botic (90+1) | — | |
| 2022–23[36] | Liga I | 127 | 13 August 2022 | Petrolul | Rapid | Grozav (23) | — | |
| 128 | 14 December 2022 | Rapid | Petrolul | Dugandžić (9 p., 73), Pănoiu (90+4) | Grozav (61) | |||
| 2023–24[37] | Liga I | 129 | 13 August 2023 | Rapid | Petrolul | — | Oaidă (62 o. g.), Valle (90+5 o. g.) | |
| 130 | 15 December 2023 | Petrolul | Rapid | — | — | |||
| 2024–25[38] | Liga I | 131 | 29 July 2024 | Petrolul | Rapid | Berisha (31) | — | |
| 132 | 30 November 2024 | Rapid | Petrolul |