Moldova without representatives in UEFA competitions

Moldovan football suffered a big blow as the last two Moldovan sides fighting for European qualification were eliminated from the Europa League on Thursday, July 21. Sheriff Tiraspol failed to qualify after a scoreless draw at home with Zeljeznicar from Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Moldovans enjoyed clear superiority but couldn’t convert their dominance into goals. The Tiraspol outfit had lost the first leg 1-0 and this was the first time over the last 10 years when Sheriff didn’t win any games in club competitions. Iskra-Stal Ribnita succumbed to a 3-1 defeat in Croatia, at the hands of Varazdin. On 20 minutes, the hosts already had a two-goal advantage. By the end of the first half, Iskra pulled one back through Andrei Novicov. Another goal could have qualified Iskra, but it came in their own net. For the third year in a row, the Ribnita-based team is eliminated from UEFA club competitions in the first round. Earlier, Milsami Orhei and Dacia Chisinau were also ousted from ongoing UEFA competitions.