Moldova vs Albania: Can Moldova Maintain Their Fourth Spot?

Albania will visit Moldova this Friday in the ninth round of the UEFA European Championship Qualifiers. Moldova now stands at the number four spot of Group E behind leader Albania, other members being Czechia, Poland, and the Faroe Isles. With nine points from six matches, Moldova has only two games left to play and must win to keep hopes of advancing.

Czechia is currently just two points ahead, and Poland was recently caught up by them, with both teams going without any defeats in this competition for three matches in a row. It is the only loss they suffered, having lost to Albania before June. In the past, Moldova has had a rather sour rivalry with Albania where Moldova hasn’t been able to defeat them in their last 6 matches together.

However, Albania comes into this match with a lot of self-assurance. Last week, they won a friendly match against Bulgaria with the score of two goals to nothing and also defeated Czechia by three goals to zero. They could get a place among the top two of the group with 13 points after winning that game.

Their performance has been phenomenal, winning thrice consecutively and six unbeaten games. They lost only once to Poland in the qualifiers. Albania has made 11 goals in the group, including more than one goal in each of its six matches. The fans consider them very strong compared to Moldova, so they would like to qualify for the significant contest.

Let’s take a look at today’s match highlights:

First-half begins!!

• In the 1^st minute, ladyslav Baboglo from Moldova commits a foul.
• Sokol Çikalleshi from Albania earns a free kick in the defensive half.
• Mario Mitaj from Albania gets booked in the 8th minute of the match for committing a hard foul against another player and receiving a yellow card.
• In the 9th minute, Mihail Caimacov from Moldova fouled. In the ninth minute, Taulant Seferi of Albania wins his side a free kick in his half.
• In the same minute, it shows another bad foul as Vadim Rata from Moldova receives a yellow card.
• During the 10th minute of play, the referee awards a direct free kick to the right wing for Ylber Ramadani from Albania.
• At the 10th minute, Vadim Rat of Moldova is booked for unsportsmanlike conduct.
• Mario Mitaj helps in blocking the shot by Kristjan Asllani, which was shot in the 13th minute for Albania.
• In the 14th minute, offside on Albania when Mario Mitaj’s through ball to Taulant Seferi. Foul by virgiliu postolachi of moldova.
• In the 15th minute, Moldova’s Ion Nicolaescu misses a save. Mihail Caimacov assists.
• Berisha concedes a corner for Moldova.
• It blocked Artur Craciun’s shot for Moldova in the 16th minute.
• Motpan of Moldova’s foul in the seventeenth minute. Nedim Bajrami of Albania gains a free kick in the midfield.
• For example, Postolachi is faulty in the twenty-first minute of play for granting a corner to Albania.
• Jasir Asani assists Ardian Ismajli in heading a ball in Albania in the 22nd  minute.
• Then, in the 23rd minute, Ioan-Calin Revenco of Moldova gets penalized for an infringement inside the box.
• A penalty was given in favor of Albania – drawn by Taulant Seferi.
• Goal of Albania in the 24th minute. Finally, Albania takes the lead when Sokol Çikalleshi scores a penalty, after which the game becomes Moldova 0, Albania 1.
• In the 25 minute, Oleg Reabciuk from Moldova gets a freckle kick at the left flank due to a foul committed by Jasir Asani.
• Ion Nicolae scorching the net after the 26th minute for Moldova’s goal gets blocked. With that, he heads, being assisted by Vadim Rata, a miss to the right.
• Free Kick for Moldova’s Nichita Motpan in the 27th minute. A foul by Berat Djimsiti from Albania.
• Moldavia’s Ion Nicolaescu fouled in the 28th minute. As a result, Ardian Ismajli from Albania was given a free kick inside the opposing side of defense.
• Another chance came upon the defending the half of Albania, and the 29th minute saw Nichita Motpan foul Ylber Ramadani.
• However, in the 31st minute, Nicolaescu of Romania also committed a foul and this one belonged to Mario Mitaj from Albania and the free kick was awarded inside the defensive zone.
• Virgiliu Postolachi from Moldova was injured after the 31^{st} minute and delayed the match in the 32nd minute.
• At the 33rd-minute mark, Ardian Ismajli fouled Postolachi in their half which resulted in him winning a free kick for his side.
• In the 34th minute, however, Nichita Motpan of Moldavia fouled to award a free kick to Kristjan Asllami for Albania to take in their half.
• This trend continued in the 38th when Vadim Rata brought down Sokol çikalleshi from Albania, earning them another free kick in their half.
• In the 40th minute, Nedim Bajrami shot for Albania, but Vladislav Baboga saved it with Berat Djimsiti's (Moldova) support.
• At the 41st minute, Moldova’s Virgiliu Postolachi went offside following a through pass by Mihail Caimacov.
• Kristjan Asllani of Albania made a foul in the 43rd minute. In the center, Veaceslav Posmac (Moldova) was not allowed to make his head by the Albanian goalie and his assistant, Vadim Rata.
• Nichita Motpan was awarded a free kick in the 44th minute following a foul by Ylber Ramadani at this team’s back line.
• After that, Ion Nicolaescu of Moldova was also guilty of infringement and awarded one more free-kick to Kristjan Asllani, who took it to his defense.
• Moldavia had free kicks in the 45th minute+1, which Vadim Rata and Nichita Motpan achieved, while Albania also managed free kicks through Sokol Çikalleshi and Taulant Seferi.
• Albain scored in the 45+ 2 minute, ensuring they entered halftime ahead by one goal.
• The changes in the Moldova team see Maxim Cojocaru come on in place of llan-Calin, Revenco.

Second-half begins!!!

• Taulant Seferi of Albania missed in the 46th minute when he attempted a shot with his right foot from outside the box which was too high. Nedim Bajrami assisted it.
• In the 52nd minute, Albania received a free kick on defense while its opponent Moldova also got a free kick on defense. Nevertheless, another foul was perpetrated by Sokol Çikalleshi in this set of movements.
• At the end of minute 53, Mihail Caimacov of Moldova received a yellow card after he fouled Kristian Asllani of Albania and earned him a free kick in their attacking half.
• In the 54 minute, Nicolaescu for Moldova shot and Berisha from Albania stopped it at his bottom-left corner and helped his team concede a corner.
• In the 58th minute, Nedim Bajrami assists in blocking Jasir Asani’s attempt at a goal for Albania. Afterward, Vadim Rata could have scored for Moldova; however, he missed a right-footed effort that Ion Nicolaescu helped toward the right side of the goalpost.
• After fouling Jasir Asani in the 59th minute, Nichita Motpan had a free kick in his team’s attacking half.
• During the 60th minute, Virgiliu Postolachi gave a shot for Moldova and Vadim Rata assisted on a save. On the other hand, Rat himself committed a foul, resulting in a freekick for Taulant Seferi of Albania in his own defensive half.
• Albania replaced Sokol Çikalleshi with Mirlind Daku in the 61st minute.
• Oleg Reabciuk, a player from Moldova, gets penalized in the 62nd minute of the game.
• The sixty-third minute sees Posmac from Moldova given a free kick in defense due to a foul by Bajrami from Albania.
• Then, in the 65th minute, Ylber Ramadani from Albania makes a right-footed attempt from outside the box and goes wide to the right.
• In the 66th minute, Virgiliu Postolachi of Moolda tries to score a goal using his right foot but Ion Nicolasau clears it away at the centre line.
• In the 67th minute of the match, Maxim Cojocaru from Moldova was brought down by Taulant Seferi from Albania, resulting in a foul and free-kick in the defensive half.
• After 68 minutes of play, Moldova had a substitution – Vitalie Damascan replaced Nichita Motpan.
• The next play saw Albania’s Berat Djimsiti committing a foul on Moldova thus earning them a corner in the 70th minute.
• Nevertheless, in the 72nd minute, Veaceslav Posmac from Moldova made his second foul, through which Mirlind Daku won a free kick from the right wing of the opponent’s field.
• This saw Albany getting another corner in the 73rd minute, thanks to a concession by Dorian Railean of Moldova.
• Nedim Bajrami had an attempt on goal with the left foot in the 73rd minute, firing outside the box. He just missed to the left side. The shot had been as a result of a pass by Jasir Asani.
• Ion Nicolaescu commits a foul in the 74th minute.
• In the 74th minute, Moldova replaces two of their players. Serafie Cojocari takes Mihail Caimacov’s place, while Victor Stîna replaces Ion Nicolaescu.
• In the 79th minute, a substitution was made by Albania’s side. In came Gjassula for the second half, who substituted Nedim Bajrami on the field.
• Taulant Seferi of Albania commits a handball in the 80th minute of the match.
• Immediately afterward, in the 81st minute, Victor Stîna takes a right-footed shot from outside the box after a corner goes high above the cross bar.
• Violation in the 80th minute of the game by Vegaslav Pozhmac from Moldova. Therefore, Ylber Ramadani from Albania scores a free kick within his attacking field.
• In the 83rd minute, Jasir Asani pounces on this opportunity and unsuccessfully fires a left-footed shot toward the center top of the goal using his foot.
• Still, tensions built up till a severe foul was committed by Mrind Daku in Albania’s 85th minute, which earned him a caution yellow card warning from the referee.
• Virgiliu Postolachi (Moldova) headed wide, with Vadim Rata assisting on a set piece in 86 minutes. Vitalie Damascan put a shot towards the bottom left side on Postolachi, who blocked it.
• As a result, Moldova was awarded a corner following the concession by Etrit Berisha.
• At this moment, Moldova equaled the game at a goal each as Vladislav Babogo scored his left footer into the high center of the goal from inside the penalty area.
• Mirlindi Daku from Albania violated the game in the 88th minute.
• After one minute in the 89th minute, Veaceslav Posmac from Moldova gets injured.
• In the 90th minute, Virgiliu Postolachi of Moldova committed his offense that earned Kosas Gjasula from Albania the chance to win the ball through his free-kick in the Albanian defensive zone.
• In 90+1 minutes, Albania replaces their player Arbnor Muja with Jasir Asani.
  In the 93+3 minute, Moldova’s Vitalie Damascan fouls and allows Albania’s Elseid Hysaj to take a free kick in their defense area.
• Mildo’s Vergilion Postolachi is later awarded another free kick for Albania’s Mirindi Daku.
• At the final whistle of the second half, Moldova and Albania ended up with a tie, which closed out the game score of 1-1.