losing the first two games of the group with Austria Wien (2–3 at Giurgiu) and Roma (0–4 in Italy), Astra managed two 2–1 away wins at Plzeň and Wien (along with a home draw with Viktoria) to stay in the race for a place in the knock-out stages. In the end, Astra's 0–0 draw with Roma and Austria Wien's failure against Plzeň in the last matchday secured Astra's place in the tournament's round of 32. There, they were eliminated by Belgian side Genk after a 2–2 draw at Giurgiu followed by 0–1 defeat in Belgium. Astra's campaign in the league, meanwhile, was disappointing, with the team finishing 5th and losing the Romanian Cup final to FC Voluntari. However, due to Astra's position in the league and Voluntari not applying for a European license, the vacant spot was given to Astra, thus qualifying yet again in Europe. Gaziantep On 14 June 2019, Șumudică was appointed as manager of Turkish club Gaziantep. In January 2021, following an away defeat in the Süper Lig against Sivasspor, the club announced that they had parted ways with the Romanian manager, following a few weeks of tension and public discussion about his contract. CFR Cluj On 28 August 2021, CFR Cluj terminated the contract of Șumudică, ending his 3-month stint in charge after a disappointing campaign for Europe. Al-Shabab On 23 March 2022, Șumudică returned to manage Al-Shabab until the end of the 2021–22 season. Al-Raed On 30 June 2022, Șumudică was appointed as manager of Al-Raed. Career statistics Managerial Honours Player Rapid București Liga I: 1998–99 Cupa României: 1997–98, 2001–02 Marítimo Taça de Portugal runner-up: 2000–01 Manager Astra Giurgiu Liga I: 2015–16 Supercupa României: 2016 CFR Cluj Supercupa României runner-up: 2021 Individual Gazeta Sporturilor Romania Coach of the Year: 2016 Saudi Professional League Manager of the Month: December 2018 References External links 1971 births Living people Footballers from Bucharest Romanian footballers Association football forwards AFC Dacia Unirea Brăila players FC Sportul Studențesc București players CS Corvinul Hunedoara players FC Rapid București players C.S. Marítimo players Debreceni VSC players AC Omonia players FC UTA Arad players ACF Gloria Bistrița players Liga I players Primeira Liga players Nemzeti Bajnokság I players Cypriot First Division players Romanian expatriate footballers Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Portugal Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Hungary Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Cyprus Romanian expatriate sportspeople in Saudi Arabia Romanian football managers Romanian expatriate football managers AFC