Sheriff beat Tiraspol to clinch fifth Super Cup

Domestic champions FC Sheriff secured their fifth Moldovan Super Cup courtesy of a 2-0 victory over FC Tiraspol.

Sheriff did not take long to get into their stride and opened the scoring on ten minutes through their new signing Ismail Isa. The Bulgarian forward was first to react after Tiraspol's goalkeeper found Benjamin Balima's shot too hot to handle. The cup winners responded after the break and came close to an equaliser, only for Dmitri Stajila to save smartly after Georgi Karaneychev had made space for a shot inside the area.

However, Vitali Rashkevich's side remained undeterred and extended their lead in the 59th minute when Alexandr Pascenco's searching cross from the right was met by Balima, who made no mistake. The 12-time champions passed up opportunities to increase the margin of victory late on as they settled for a two-goal victory and a perfect start to the season.

"The lads implemented our game plan," said Rashkevich. "I am happy I saw a good unity in the squad as we have many new players. They are starting to understand our requirements and that is why we were able to play as a team."

For Sheriff captain Marko Stanojević, it was important to make amends for defeat in the Super Cup last term. "Last year we lost the Super Cup on penalties to Milsami so we wanted take revenge and lift the trophy," he said. "We played smarter than Tiraspol and that was why we won. We strive to improve from game to game and to be good in UEFA Champions League."