Moldova bowled over by Germany win

Moldovan football may have a bright future after the national Under-21 side proved their promise with a win against their German counterparts in Tiraspol.

Own goal
An own goal from Dennis Aogo gave Moldova a 1-0 win in the UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier, and while they have no chance of progressing to next summer's final tournament in Sweden there is a feeling that the former Soviet republic is on the up in footballing terms, with a new generation of players set to make a splash in Europe in the years to come.

Footballing hotbeds
Senior national team coach Igor Dobrovolski has been eager to bring younger players into his selection in recent years, and there has been a steady stream of talent trickling into Moldovan football. FC Sheriff are setting the pace with their academy for players aged seven to 17, while FC Zimbru Chişinău have a similar establishment and there is also now an Igor Dobrovolski football academy in Chisinau.

Domestic opportunities
These young players are being given plenty of chance to impress in domestic football. Zimbru have been using a number of 18- and 19-year-old players in their senior team, and even fielded 16-year-old Alexandr Beliuga last season. Zimbru's Nicolai Calancea, Andrei Cojocari and Igor Armaş may be just over 20, but they are already established internationals.

Foreign fields
Moldovan youngsters are starting to find opportunities at foreign clubs too. Russia's FC Terek Grozny have taken on 20-year-old goalkeeper Stefan Sicaci and defender Dmitri Dolgov, while Vadim Bolohan, 22, is playing in Ukraine for FC Zorya Luhansk. Ilie Cebanu, 22, plays in goal for Wisla Kraków in Poland, Artur Pătraş is with Romania's FCU Timisoara while Alexandr Dedov, 19, is in Latvia at FK Ventspils.

Coaching philosophy
National U21 coach Serghei Chirilov and colleagues Serghei Clescenco and Vlad Goian have all come from successful playing careers into developing young players coaching and feel proud of their achievements. "My goal is to convince young players that they are just as good as their opponents and that they can achieve good results in any contest," said Chirilov." I'm proud Moldova won against a fearsome side like Germany. We proved we can stand up to any nation."