The Primvs derby, also known as The Only Derby (), is a Romanian football derby contested between Liga I clubs Rapid București and Petrolul Ploiești. The name derives from the rivalry's status as one of the earliest in Romanian football, dating back to the interwar period, when both clubs were based in Bucharest and emerged as leading competitive sides in the country.
The rivalry is usually contested at least twice per season in league competition, and also extends to matches in the Cupa României. Throughout their histories, the two clubs have alternated between periods of success and decline, competing for domestic honors during their peak years and experiencing setbacks such as bankruptcy or relegation to the second division.
At various times, the clubs have also faced each other in promotion battles to return to the top flight, seeking to re-establish their status among Romania's leading teams.
History
Origins and early encounters
Petrolul Ploiești was founded in 1924 in Bucharest under the name Juventus, following the merger of Triumf and Romcomit, and initially played its home matches at Romcomit Stadium. Rapid București, originally known as CFR București, was established a year earlier, in 1923, by workers from the Grivița railway workshops.
The two clubs first met competitively on 1 November 1931, in the Bucharest regional championship, with the match ending in a 3–3 draw.
Following World War II, both clubs underwent multiple name changes as a result of political reorganization under Romania’s communist regime. In 1952, Juventus, by then known as Flacăra București, was relocated approximately 60 kilometres north to Ploiești. Rapid reverted to its traditional name in November 1957, while the Ploiești-based club adopted the name Petrolul in December 1958.
Championship battles of the 1960s The rivalry reached one of its most prominent peaks during the 1960s, when both clubs regularly competed for the national title. The decade featured several high-scoring and unpredictable encounters. In the 1962–63 season, Rapid defeated Petrolul 6–1 at Stadionul „23 August”, only for Petrolul to respond the following season with a 6–0 victory at the same venue. Both results remain among the most notable in the history of the fixture.
During the 1965–66 season, the two clubs were again direct competitors for the championship. Coached by Constantin Cernăianu, Petrolul secured the league title, finishing ahead of Rapid. A decisive moment came in a 1–0 home victory over Rapid, with Virgil Dridea scoring directly from a corner kick, a goal that proved crucial in Petrolul’s title-winning campaign.
Rapid claimed its first championship the following season, aided by a crucial 0–0 draw away to Petrolul in Ploiești, highlighted by a strong performance from goalkeeper Rică Răducanu. The match is also remembered for the large number of Rapid supporters who traveled to Ploiești, including folk singer Ioana Radu, some of whom reportedly pledged to walk back to Bucharest should Rapid secure the title.
Relegations, promotion battles and a cup final The rivalry continued into the following decade. In March 1970, Petrolul defeated Rapid 2–0, a result that contributed to the beginning of a downturn for the Giulești side, who eventually lost the championship to UTA Arad by two points.
The 1973–74 season marked a low point for both clubs, as Rapid and Petrolul were relegated to the second tier. The downturn coincided with the retirement of several key players on both sides, including the Dridea brothers, Mocanu and Mișu Ionescu at Petrolul, and Nicky Dumitriu, Dan Coe, Puiu Ionescu, Lupescu and Greavu at Rapid.
Rapid returned to the top flight after one season, while Petrolul spent three years in the second division before earning promotion in 1976–77. Their return was guided by coach Valentin Stănescu, who had previously led Rapid to its first league title in 1966–67.
Between 1978 and 1982, the two clubs competed in the same series of the second division, with the 1981–82 season proving particularly competitive. Petrolul and Rapid alternated at the top of the table, with a key match seeing Petrolul win 1–0 at home through a late goal by Ion Ștefănescu. The decisive encounter came in the spring of 1982 at Stadionul Steaua, watched by 35,000 spectators, where Rapid recorded a 5–1 victory. Despite the loss, Petrolul finished two points ahead and secured promotion, while Rapid returned to the top flight a year later, again under Stănescu.
Both clubs later re-established themselves in the first division, with Petrolul promoted in 1988–89 and Rapid in 1989–90. Each also returned to European competition after long absences: Petrolul faced Anderlecht in the 1990–91 UEFA Cup, while Rapid played Internazionale Milano in the 1993–94 UEFA Cup.
A major milestone in the rivalry occurred in the final of the 1995 Cupa României, where Petrolul won their second Romanian Cup after defeating Rapid on penalties. The match proved controversial: Petrolul led through Claudiu Andreicuț before Rapid equalized via Iulian Chiriță, whose goal appeared to be offside. Although allegations of refereeing bias later circulated, these claims were never substantiated and remain part of supporter folklore.
Decline, bankruptcy and revival (2000s–present) The early 2000s saw both clubs competing in the top division until Petrolul’s relegation at the end of the 2003–04 season. The decade represented one of the most successful periods in Rapid’s history, as the club won the 2002–03 league title, three Romanian Cups, three Romanian Supercups, and reached the quarter-finals of the 2005–06 UEFA Cup. During this period, encounters between the two clubs were largely dominated by Rapid.
Petrolul spent several seasons in the second division before returning to the top flight in 2010–11. The club enjoyed renewed success by winning the 2013 Romanian Cup. However, both teams soon encountered severe financial difficulties, culminating in declarations of bankruptcy in 2016, which temporarily halted the rivalry.
Both clubs were subsequently re-founded and began rebuilding. In October 2019, they met again in the second division, with Rapid winning 1–0. Rapid returned to Liga I in 2020–21, followed by Petrolul a year later, restoring the Primvs derby to the top tier of Romanian football.
Honours
Petrolul PloieștiCompetitionRapid BucureștiDomestic 4 Liga I / Divizia A 3 9 Liga II / Divizia B 6 1 Liga III 1 1 Liga IV (regional) 1 — Liga V (regional) 1 3 Cupa României 13 — Supercupa României 4 — Cupa Ligii 1 1 Cupa României (regional - Liga IV) 1 19 Domestic Total 31International and regional (non-UEFA) — Balkans Cup (defunct) 2 — European Railways Cup (defunct) 1 1 Bangladesh President's Gold Cup — 1 Total 3 20 Grand total 34 Note: The Balkans Cup, the European Railways Cup and the Bangladesh President's Gold Cup were international tournaments not organized by UEFA, and therefore do not count towards official European records.
Statistics
Total matchesplayedRapid wins DrawsPetrolul winsRapid goalsPetrolul goals Bucharest district championship 2 1 1 0 7 3 Divizia A 92 45 21 26 132 93 Liga I 15 5 7 3 12 8 Total (league)109512929151104 Cupa României 13 9 1 3 36 16 Divizia B 8 3 0 5 9 13 Liga II 3 1 1 1 1 2 Total (official)133643138197135
Official match results Dates are in dd/mm/yyyy form
SF = Semi-finals QF = Quarter-finals R16 = Round of 16 R32 = Round of 32 GS = Group stage R1 = Round 1 R2 = Round 2
As a cross-town rivalry (1931–1951)
Season CompetitionNo.DateHome teamScoreAway teamGoals (home)Goals (away)1931–32Southern League - Bucharest district championship11 November 1931JuventusCFRMelchior 18′; A. Bărbulescu ?′; Carianopol ?′V. Chiroiu 30′, 38′; Gebrovsky 71′217 April 1932CFRJuventusV. Chiroiu ?′; Baciu ?′; T. Chiroiu ?′; Gebrovsky ?′—1934–35Divizia A39 September 1934CFRJuventusGeza Medve 11′; Țepeneag 35′Zăinescu 2′425 May 1935JuventusCFRMelchior 25′; Palmer ?′; Cossini 55′ (o.g.)Brandabura 19′ (o.g.); Ströck III 23′; Șt. Barbu 46′; Gh. Georgescu 68′1935–36Divizia A514 September 1935JuventusCFRKorony 8′Cuedan 30′; L. Pal 38′; Gh. Georgescu 55′614 March 1936CFRJuventusȘt. Barbu 1′; Boros 43′; I. Moldoveanu 53′; L. Pal 69′R. De Vittor 80′1936–37Divizia A726 September 1936JuventusCFRR. De Vittor 75′I. Bogdan 10′, 85′; Lengheriu 30′; Auer 82′821 May 1937RapidJuventusI. Bogdan 7′, 37′; Auer 32′; Baratky 65′Vaida 12′; Zăinescu 68′1938–39Divizia A927 August 1938RapidJuventus—Prassler 58′1030 April 1939JuventusRapid—Cossini 30′; Baratky 40′, 72′; I. Moldoveanu 57′ 1939–40Divizia A113 December 1939JuventusRapidPrassler 62′, 89′ (pen.)I. Bogdan 49′; Auer 63′ (pen.)126 June 1940RapidJuventusBaratky 7′; Auer 30′, 49′; I. Bogdan 46′Drăgan 70′1940–41Cupa României QF1325 May 1941RapidJuventusBaratky 34′, 64′; I. Bogdan 50′, 70′; Ritter 57′Naciu 90′1942–43Cupa României R161416 May 1943RapidJuventusFlorian Radu 41′, 53′, 71′, 88′—1946–47Divizia A158 December 1946CFRJuventus—Flamaropol 39′1615 June 1947JuventusCFRTiti Popescu 8′, 78′; E. Iordache 20′, 31′; Flamaropol 22′Fl. Tănăsescu 70′1947–48Divizia A174 September 1947JuventusCFRFlamaropol 28′, 33′; E. Iordache 61′I. Lungu 46′; Șt. Filotti 71′1821 February 1948CFRDistribuţia PetrolȘt. Filotti 41′; Fl. Tănăsescu 65′—1948–49Divizia A1927 November 1948CFRPetrolulI. Lungu 33′Titi Popescu 63′202 July 1949PetrolulCFROană 16′, 67′; Titi Popescu 23′, 24′I. Lungu 70′1950Divizia A2123 April 1950LocomotivaPartizanulSmărăndescu 2′—2214 October 1950PartizanulLocomotivaV. Neagu 67′—1951Divizia A236 May 1951FlacăraLocomotiva—A. Rădulescu 33′; I. Nicșa 76′2430 September 1951LocomotivaFlacăra——
As an inter-city rivalry (1952–present)