Artur Ionita became the first Moldovan player who took part in the first league of the championship of Italy, Series A. The Hellas Verona halfback made his debut on the field of Atalanta in the evening of August 31.

Ionita entered the field in the 74th minute and helped Hellas to secure a 0-0 draw. The 24-year-old player was shown a yellow card in the 85th minute for stopping a counterattack. The famous footballers Luca Toni and Rafael Marquez also played for Hellas.

“We knew it won’t be easy. Only by work will I manage to play in Series A. Competition is stiff,” Artur Ionita has told IPN.

Last Sunday, Ionita played for 15 minutes in the encounter between Hellas and Cremonese within the Cup of Italy. Hellas scored a 3-0 victory in that game. In summer, Ionita signed for Hellas Verona after leaving Aarau of Switzerland. Today he came to Moldova to join the national team in the matches against Ukraine and Montenegro set for September 3 and 8.