Match Report
Italy, 2nd with 18 points, sat 17 points above Moldova (5th, 1). Recent form told a different story for Moldova: only 44th in the league over the last five rounds despite sitting 5th. In league terms the two rates read 0.63/4 for Moldova and 2.63/1.5 for Italy (scored/conceded per game); the competition average is 1.66.
Moldova had gone 9 games without a win. Five consecutive wins preceded this game for Italy. The five-game form split read 1/15 points for Moldova against 15/15 for Italy.
Stadionul Zimbru, capacity 1,500, hosted the game. The referee was Nikolai Balakin, with 6 matches in our database and 0.0 yellows per game on average. On the scoreboard, it was 0-0 at the break; 2 second-half goals set the final 0-2.
Goal scorers
Italy: Gianluca Mancini (88'), Pio Esposito (90')
Key stats
Possession: Moldova 23% · Italy 77% · Total shots: 3-28 · On target: 1-9 · Corners: 1-13