The national Under 21 football team of Moldova suffered a defeat in the last group match at the CIS Cup. Moldova was beaten by Belarus 1-2. Nevertheless, Moldova secured its presence in the final of the competition held in Saint Petersburg, IPN reports.

The only goal for Moldova was scored by the halfback of the Portuguese team Peniche Ion Cararus. He tied after Aleksei Zaleskii opened the score towards the end of the first half, from a penalty. The victory goal was scored by Nikita Korzun in the 59th minute. “In this match, we gave the chance to those who played less in the matches against Kazakhstan and Kirgizstan. Even so, we wanted to win a victory in this game,” the coach of Moldova Danut Oprea told a news conference.

In the final on January 23, Moldova will play against Russia or Estonia. The two teams meet this evening in a match that will decide the second finalist.