Tactical resilience secures home win for Moldova at Dinamo Stadium
Moldova’s national rugby team secured a hard-fought 17-7 victory against Turkey in their Rugby Europe Conference opener. The match, held at Dinamo Stadium in Chișinău, marked a challenging start for the local side in the third tier of European rugby.
The visiting team surprised the hosts with a strong start, scoring the opening try of the match. However, Veaceslav Titica’s men regained their composure and took control of the game shortly after.
Ion Copîtov leveled the momentum with a try for Moldova. Adrian Adam followed with a precise conversion, bringing the score to 7-7.
Before the halftime whistle, the "Haiducii" intensified their pressure and scored a second try through Anatolie Evdochimenco. Adam was once again accurate with the conversion, giving Moldova a lead they would not relinquish.
The second half proved to be a more tactical encounter with fewer scoring opportunities. Moldova added three more points to their tally through a successfully executed penalty kick by Adrian Adam.
"We expected it to be much easier, but for a first official match, it was a good result," stated Copîtov. He added that the team will work on their mistakes ahead of the upcoming clash with Ukraine.
Coach Veaceslav Titica congratulated his players on the win, regardless of the difficulties faced on the pitch. Federation President Anatolie Curechi admitted they hoped for a bonus-point victory but expressed satisfaction with the current result under pressure.
Moldova will next host Ukraine at the Dinamo Stadium on April 11. The match is scheduled for 11:00 AM and will be broadcast live and exclusively by the national station, Moldova 1.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
