Sheriff complete Moldovan double

FC Sheriff completed the domestic double for the second season in a row, beating FC Dacia Chişinău 2-0 in the Moldovan Cup final to retain their trophy and add it to the ninth consecutive league title they confirmed last month.

Balima opener
Interest was fervent ahead of the cup final meeting between the teams who finished first and second in the championship and Sheriff made an enthusiastic start from the beginning of the contest, although Dacia defended well early on. The opening goal came early in the second half when Benjamin Balima scored from inside the box and the resilience of Dacia was eroded from that point forward. Balima and Aleksandr Erokhin missed several opportunities after that but the victory was secured in the 87th minute when Florent Rouamba found the target with a beautiful long-range shot.

Kuchuk joy
"This success was much more difficult than against these opponents in the league," said Sheriff coach Leonid Kuchuk. "The cup has its own rules. Here it is very difficult to repair a mistake. The players performed a tactical task, we won and I can say that I feel happy now." His Dacia counterpart, Roman Pilipchuk, paid tribute to his own side after the final whistle. "I liked the way my team played," he said. "However, I did not like the result. My players did everything they could, but the level of our opponents is clearly higher."

Sixth cup
The triumph was the sixth in the cup final for Sheriff since their first in 1999, yet this achievement had added significance as the club claimed the Commonwealth Cup in Moscow in January, meaning their haul for the season stands at three trophies for the first time. Sheriff will compete in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds next season, while Dacia will look to work their way through UEFA Europa League qualifying.