Moldova’s national soccer squad were defeated in Tiraspol by Latvia on Saturday: 1-2. Girts Karlsons scored in the 8th minute and Vitalijs Astafjevs in the 22nd , after a brilliant start of the match that left the Moldovans no chance. Alexandr Suvorov (min. 16) and Viorel Frunza (min. 28) were close to score, but the Latvian goalkeeper Andris Vanins rejected their attacks. The Tricolori managed to balance the match only in the second half, after the coach Igor Dobrovolski introduced Igor Targarlas and Serghei Alexeev, the latter one managing to score spectacularly in the 76th minute. Despite the continuous attacks by the Moldovan football players, their lack of imagination in the center on the field, and the problematic finalizations left the score at 2:1, marking, thus, Moldova’s first defeat in the preliminaries of the 2010 World Championship. [Technical data:] September. Tiraspol, Sheriff’s arena. 4,300 spectators. Scores: Alexeev (76) - Karlsons (8), Astafjevs (22) Warned: Lascencov (21), Golovatenco (90) - Klava (26), Laizans (82) Referee: Mark Courtney (Northern Ireland) [Teams:] MOLDOVA: Calancea, Epureanu, Lascencov, Golovatenco, Rebeja (c), Corneencov, Andronic (Alexeev, 69), Bordian, Suvorov (Tagarlas, 69), Frunza, Picusciac Reserves: St. Namasco, Comlionoc, Armas, Savinov, Cebotaru Coach: Igor Dobrovolski Latvia: Vanins, Stepanovs, Astafjevs (c), Gorkss, Laizans, Klvava, Kacanovs (Zirnis, 90), Solonicins, Verpakovskis (Rubins, 75), Pereplotkins (Kolesnicenko, 83), Karlsons Reserves: Kolinko, Mezeckis, Savcenkovs, Grebis Antrenor: Aleksandrs Starkovs.