Moldova's Fight: U-21 Team Faces Dutch Powerhouse
The Moldova U-21 national team is preparing for a challenging match in the 2025 European Championship qualifiers against the Netherlands U-21 team.
The Dutch squad is largely composed of players from top clubs in their domestic league and across Europe.
One of the stars of the current Dutch team is Ian Maatsen, who was loaned from Borussia Dortmund to Chelsea last winter. The squad also includes Ruben van Bommel, the son of famous Dutch footballer Marc van Bommel, a former midfielder for Bayern Munich, Barcelona, and AC Milan.
"We are playing against a strong team, but that doesn't mean the match is lost before it even begins. We will fight for every ball. This is the fourth match against this team in the last 2-3 years. They've beaten us 3-0 three times, a clear sign we weren't competitive. We hope that in the fourth match we will do something good," said coach Ştefan Stoica.
Both teams played a friendly match before their direct confrontation in Chişinău, and both suffered defeats. Moldova was defeated 2-0 by Hungary in Budapest, while the Netherlands lost their home match against Norway 2-1.
"I think every team has weaknesses. We need to analyse them and give everything on the pitch. We need to analyse every move, every opposing player. There are no perfect teams, after all. It will be a big fight. For us, it's a chance to prove our qualities as footballers," said footballer Ion Borş.
"We are fighting people who never give in. We will go out on the pitch like it's our last match. We will fight from the first minute to the last. This is our strength," said footballer Daniel Lisu.
The match will be played on March 25 at the Zimbru stadium in Chişinău, starting at 20:30. The Moldova U-21 national team is currently fourth in Group C of the EURO-2025 qualifiers, with 6 points accumulated in 6 matches played. They still retain a chance to qualify for the final tournament next year.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
