Goalkeeper Andrei Cozhukhar leads the national team onto the pitch of the stadium in Nicosia // Photo: fmf.md.
The hosts led 3-0 by halftime. The Moldovan team scored two goals in the second half.
Avoided defeat
Already in the 5th minute of the match Grigoris Kastanos opened the score. Cypriot midfielder Haralambos Haralambous made a double, scoring in the 30th and 44th minutes. Lilian Popescu’s men went into the break with a three-goal lead.
In the second half, Tricolor managed to score two goals. In the 55th minute, striker Petru Popescu scored. Two minutes before the end of the main time, midfielder Victor Stine struck the goal of the Cypriot national team.
“I have never commented “on the hot head”
Commenting on the result, Moldova’s head coach Lilian Popescu called the first half “disastrous” and spoke about what helped the players to score against their opponents in the second half. “They tried to change the situation on the field. You understand how hard it is to play at 0:3 … I told the players that at this level any individual mistake is punishable. I have never commented “on a hot head”, we still have to analyze and discuss the game”, – said the specialist at the post-match press conference.
Statistics – in favor of Cyprus
The Cypriot national team took the lead in the history of confrontations with the Moldovan team. Now the islanders have two victories, while the Moldovan team has beaten the Cypriots only once – in 2024.
In the second consecutive friendly match, the Moldovan national team suffered a defeat. Earlier “tricolor” lost to Lithuania with the score 0:2.
In preparation for the group round division C Nations League Moldovan national team will play two more friendly matches in the summer – with Bulgaria (June 5). against Bulgaria (June 5) и Armenia (June 5) and Armenia (June 9). In the fall, the Moldovan players will have to fight for promotion with the national teams of Slovakia, Kazakhstan and the Faroe Islands.
