Hard-fought victory for Moldova

The national football team of Moldova earned the first victory in 2011. The players bested Andorra 2-1 in a friendly fixture. The match was played on February 9, in Portugal, Info-Prim Neo reports. The Moldovans dominated the game and earned a penalty on 37 minutes, after Lima had handballed in the area and was sent off. However, Anatol Doros failed to convert the penalty kick. Surprisingly, it was Andorra who broke the deadlock on 52 minutes. Ayala took a shot from the middle of the pitch and keeper Nicolae Calancea stopped the ball on the line. Still, the linesman awarded the goal to Andorra. Just two minutes later, Moldova lost a player- Alexandru Suvorov, who was sent off. It seems this awakened the footballers, as Moldova managed to grab the victory. Igor Picusciac leveled on 66 minutes, while Igor Bugaiov scored the winner from the spot, in the 4th added minute. After the match, coach Gabi Balint blasted the refereeing. Moldova lost the previous friendly game in Portugal to Poland 0-1.