The men's Romanian Cup final was supposed to end with a tie-break. Instead, it concluded with a whistle, a protest, and an "on the table" decision that brought the trophy to SCM Zalău. SCM Zalău – Corona Brașov 3:1 (20:25, 27:25, 25:14, 25:0 awarded)
Against Corona Brașov, the match in Blaj unfolded exactly like a grand final – an even game, turnarounds, and tension until the last point. Brașov took the first set 25:20, after which Zalău turned it around with 27:25 and 25:14.
The fourth set was one of those that kept the hall on its feet. Zalău reached match point, even two, but failed to close it out. Corona snatched the set 34:32, and everything was heading towards a decisive fifth set.
However, it was never played.
The story turned after the last ball in the fourth set. Zalău filed a protest. The reason – at the end of the set, with the score 24:23 in their favor, there was only one Romanian player on Brașov's court, while the rule requires a minimum of two.
Initially, no one reacted. Neither the referees nor the table officials. The match continued, the set ended 34:32, everyone expected a tie-break. Then came the check.
According to Romanian media reports and the official statement from the federation, after a video review, it was confirmed that the violation had indeed occurred. The decision was final – the set was annulled as a result and awarded by default to Zalău. With this, the match concluded. No fifth set. No final resolution on the court.
The federation directly explains:

'After a video review, it was found that the rule regarding a minimum of two Romanian players on the court was violated. Under these circumstances, the end of the set is irrelevant, and Zalău wins 3:1, with the fourth set awarded by default,' states the official comment from the federation.

The paradox is that Corona Brașov had no issues with their squad. There are six Romanians in the team. It's just that at that specific moment, only one remained on the court – a mistake that turned out to be fatal.
For Zalău, this is their sixth Romanian Cup and their first in ten years. The team celebrated in front of about 600 of their fans in the hall.
For Brașov, however, the question remains how such a violation could go unnoticed in real-time and only be sanctioned after the end of the set – and that too in a final.
Because ultimately, this was not just a controversial situation. This was a final that was not decided by the last ball. But after it.

photo: Sport Club Municipal Zalău