Sheriff down Dacia in Moldovan Cup final

FC Sheriff have lifted the Moldovan Cup for the eighth time in their history after beating FC Dacia Chisinau 3-2 at the end of extra time at Stadionul Zimbru.

FC Sheriff, who finished third in the Moldovan First Division, went ahead in the ninth minute when Brazilian forward Juninho Potiguar found the net, with Maxim Iurcu striking seven minutes after the interval to make it 2-0.

However, Dacia, who finished a place above their opponents in the league, took the final to extra time when Petru Leuca headed a late, late equaliser following an own goal from Sheriff keeper Serghei Juric. They then lost Akhmet Barakhoev to a red card early in extra time but refused to curb their attacking instincts, only for Bulgarian striker Ismail Isa to bury the winner on 110 minutes.

"It's my first trophy here at Sheriff and I'm very happy to win it," said coach Zoran Zekić. "I would like to thank our fans who came here in a big numbers and supported us brilliantly. Both teams showed everything that football is about – goals, spirit and emotions."

Dacia's assistant coach Veaceslav Semenov added: "It was a true cup final and tense throughout. Sheriff were much better in the first half, but afterwards we managed to transform the game. It was close to a penalty shoot-out, but Barakhoev's dismissal left its mark."