FC Dacia Chişinău

Dacia Chişinău

Full name	Fotbal Club Dacia Chişinău
Nickname(s)	The Yellow-Blues, The Wolves
Founded	1999
Ground	Zimbru (Capacity: 10,500)
Chairman	Zinaida Jioara
Manager	Igor Dobrovolski
League	Divizia Naţională
2010–11	1st
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours
Current season

FC Dacia Chişinău is a Moldovan football club, playing in the city of Chişinău, the capital of Moldova. They play in the Divizia Naţională, the top division in Moldovan football.

History

1999 A new football club, FC Dacia, was founded in Chişinău on the verge of the third millennium by Marin Levadaru, Igor Ursachi, Valeriu Plujnic and Alexandru Șcaruba. The team was composed of goalkeeper Ghenadie Gariuc and field players Alexandru Golban, Cornel Popov, Ruslan Raşcu, Serghei Coşciug, Cornel Gafton, Veaceslav Titov, Alexandru Tracalov and others. The team had quite modest goals - to take part in the Moldova Championship in Division A.

2000/2001

The team went to a training camp to the Black Sea in June. It was held in Ilichivsk (near Odessa, Ukraine). After that, the team made its debut in the Moldova Championship in Division A. Gabriel Stati took over as president in autumn and supported the club. That's when the Dacians became the real Yellow Wolves.

2001/2002

Dacia dominated in Division A next season. The team trained in Vadul lui Vodă first and then went to Germany where the Dacians learnt about football in this country and the training process in top German clubs. Dacia's first German opponents in exhibition matches were Tennis Borussia Berlin. Though our footballers won the first game 2-0, they lost their concentration a little bit in the second match and lost.

2002/2003

The Wolves claimed their first win by a 1-0 score in the opening game over Nistru OtaciDacia got a berth to the UEFA Intertoto Cup in the very first season in the ND. The Faroe Islands are an island group between the Norwegian Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. This is where Dacia's first opponents in the UEFA tournament were based. GÍ Gøta were a semi-professional club, just like all Faroese football sides. But Dacia could also hardly be called a professional club back then. The Dacians showed their uncompromising nature in the next round as well where they faced strong Albanian side Partizani Tirana and maintained a clean sheet, scoring five unanswered goals in both legs (2-0 and 3-0). The next opponents that Dacia faced were star-studded Schalke 04. Dacia scored only one goal in both legs (1-0 and 2-1)

2003/2004

The team finished fifth in this Championship. Former second-team coach Emil Caras took over as head coach. The former Dacia player managed to lead the club to the Moldova Cup semifinal where Dacians were defeated by another Chişinău-based side Zimbru. Our team claimed the most impressive victory in its history (9-0) against FC Floreşti in the Moldova Cup that season.

2004/2005

The team claimed bronze medals of the Championship and got a berth to the UEFA zone. The Wolves also finished as runners-up in the Moldova Cup after a dramatic loss to Nistru Otaci. Unfortunately, Dacia did not manage to perform in the UEFA Cup as brilliantly as in the Intertoto Cup. Dacia should have defeated Swiss Challenge League FC Vaduz based in Liechtenstein despite their large UEFA experience. However, Emil Caras' men lost the away leg 0-2 and could not overcome this deficit in the home leg though Vladimir Jăpălău and his goal secured a 1-0 victory for the Chişinău side.

2005/2006

Dacia did not manage to land a spot on the podium and finished sixth that season. The Wolves also lost the Moldova Cup semifinals to Nistru Otaci. The bright achievement of that season was Dacia's victory at the Turkmenistan President's Cup in February 2006. The full name of this tournament is the "IX Turkmenistan President Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi Cup". The Moldovan side claimed a 3-4 victory in the final and collected a $20,000 prize.

2006/2007

Yellow Wolves placed fourth and got a berth to the Intertoto Cup. Dacia's first opponents in the Intertoto Cup were not easy. For the first time in Moldovan clubs' history in UEFA tournaments, the match was decided by a penalty shoot-out. Thanks to the brilliant performance of Dacia golakeeper Mihai Moraru Dacia won. Dacia's next opponents in the Intertoto Cup were Swiss FC St. Gallen. Dacia had many chances to score the equalizer. But Orbu, Mincev, Boicenco, and Guşilă failed to score for some reason. Valeriu Onila also let down the team at the end when he was sent off for a foul on an opponent. After that game, Hamburg went to Moldova instead of Switzerland. Led by famous Dutch playmaker Rafael van der Vaart the German side did not put up an impressive performance because extremely motivated Dacia managed to impose their own will at their home stadium. The Wolves opened the score in the 7th minute through Eugen Boicenco. Dacia's players were leaving the field in disappointment after the game against Hamburg though it was one of the best results achieved by Moldovan teams in UEFA tournaments. The away leg was held in Europe's largest port city. National team players Olić (Croatia), Zidan (Egypt) and Trochowski (Germany) did not manage to score until after half-time when exhausted Dacia allowed four goals and lost 0-4. The Yellow Wolves received a high assessment from local experts and Dacia were named the Top Team of 2007 by the Moldova Football Association.

2007/2008

It was another great season for the Yellow Wolves that brought them silver medals of the Moldova Championship. This achievement was made possible thanks to new vice-president Timur Kuriev who brought Russian investors. After the break, Emil Caras' men again seized five wins in row. As a result, Dacia almost closed the gap on Sheriff. They were one point way from the Tiraspol side before their encounter. The Sheriff-Dacia match held on March 30, 2008 was called the match of the year by many experts. The winning goal was scored by the FC Sheriff Player Balima. Dacia retained the second spot, claiming silver medals and getting a berth to the UEFA zone. Dacia drew Serbian side FK Borac. At the return Korgalidze scored a quick goal. But the Serbian side managed to and scored two more winning goals.

2008/2009

FC Dacia was in the top again, trying to reach Sheriff. However, Dacia with new Ukrainian head coach Roman Pilipchuk needed to beat Zimbru first. The game ended in a 1-1 draw after Negrescu's goal. Dacia enjoyed success in the last three games of the season - claimed a 3-1 away win over CSCA Rapid, beat difficult opponents Nistru Otaci home 1-0 and defeated Tiligul Tiras Tiraspol in the Moldova Cup quarterfinals. The first match in Chişinău resulted in a 1-1 draw again. Dvali and Onica led Dacia to a 2-0 win and the semifinals. At a traditional ceremony held by the Moldova Football Association, Victor Bulat got the People's Choice Award while Alexandru Onica received a prize from the Vremea newspaper and www.fotbal.md for his 'Debut in the National Team'. Dacia had a good start after the break, capturing three consecutive wins. Unfortunately, the game against Sheriff was not so successful for our team. The Tiraspol side scored the winning goal during stoppage time. The Wolves beat Zimbru on 3-1 aggregate in the semifinals to reach the Moldova Cup final for the second time in their history. But Dacia's second attempt to win the Moldova Cup failed as out squad was defeated by Sheriff Tiraspol by a 0-2 score in the final. The Moldova Cup final was dedicated to Dacia Chişinău honorary president Gabriel Stati who has greatly contributed to the development of the club. Dacia placed second with three rounds to go in the Championship. The next step was the European League. Dacia Chişinău started playing in the tournament from the second round and drew Slovak MŠK Žilina.

2009/2010

Dacia wanted one thing that season - to claim the national title. Dacia managed to claim 13 wins along with three draws and two losses in the first 18 games. The Dacians were in the third spot before the break, two points away from the top spot. Our Ukrainian forward Oleksandr Zgura filling in Djaba Dvali's vacant spot was the top striker of the Moldova Championship,Veaceslav Semionov took over as Dacia's head coach instead of Roman Pilipchuk. Changes continued in winter when Rustam Polonkoev was appointed as team's persident instead of Timur Kuriev. Dacia Chişinău represented Moldova in the 18th CIS Cup that season. Dacia got in Group D in the CIS Cup, handing a 0-1 loss to Uzbek FC Bunyodkor. Our team faced Lithuanian Ekranas next and settled for a 0-0 draw in this game. The Yellow Wolves humiliated FC Pyunik in the last group match, scoring six goals against the Armenian side. As a result, the Moldovan team placed third in the group with 4 points. The Yellow Wolves adopted a new mascot in 2010 - a real wolf that should bring luck to our guys. The team had a training camp in Antalya where Veaceslav Semionov's men played against Astra Ploieşti, Arsenal Kiev, Sibir Novosibirsk, FC Shakhter Karagandy and Spartak Nalchik. The season could be called failure, hadn't the Dacians reached the country's second most-important tournament, the Moldova Cup. Thanks to reaching the final, our guys secured a berth to the Europa League.

2010/2011

"We will become champions next season", said Dacia owner Adlan Shishkhanov at the club's 10-year anniversary. A year passed and the Chişinău side won the title in the 2010/2011 season. Dacia managed to claim the top spot and beat Moldova ten-time champions Sheriff, taking a 9-point lead. The season started with the campaign in the Europa League first qualifying round in which the Yellow Wolves faced the Montenegrin Wolves, as Zeta are nicknamed. The first leg ended in a 1-1 draw. Three days before Dacia's return leg against Montenegrin Zeta, Igor Dobrovolskiy was appointed as head coach of the Chişinău side. The home leg ended in a 0-0 draw. Thanks to the goal scored away, Dacia advanced to the second round of the Europe League to face Swedish Kalmar FF. The Swedish side won the two legged tie after Dacia's 0-0 draw away and 0-2 loss home. After 16 roundsin the national Division, Dacia were the only team that did not suffer a defeat. But nothing lasts forever. Igor Dobrovolskiy's men fell to a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Sheriff Tiraspol. This well-deserved loss provided a challenge and incentive to the team that resulted in a 22-game non-losing streak. The Yellow Wolves claimed 27 wins and 11 draws in 39 rounds, suffering just one loss. FC Dacia acquired a sports complex in Speia in late 2010. Dacia also signed an agreement with the Buiucani sports school to create Dacia's second team, Dacia-Buiucani.

2011/2012

The Yellow Wolves began the new season as reigning Moldova champions and won another trophy. For the first time in four years, the Super Cup was held in Moldova. Dacia Chişinău and Iskra-Stal Rîbniţa vied for the Super Cup. Igor Dobrovolskiy's men enjoyed possession and territorial advantage that resulted into the only goal of the game. The winning goal was scored by Dacia newcomer Vasili Pavlov. After adding another trophy to their collection, Dacia made their debut in the Champions League. Dacia lost the away leg to Zestafoni 2-0 but became a real nightmare for the Georgian side in the return match, seizing a 2-0 win and creating enough chances for a 4-0 victory. However, Zestafoni managed to advance to the next round of the most prestigious UEFA club tournament.

European cup history

The club qualified for the 2005–06 UEFA Cup qualifying rounds by finishing third in the Moldovan league the previous season. In 2007, they reached the third round of the UEFA Intertoto Cup after beating FK Baku and FC St. Gallen in penalties, and eventually drawing 1–1 with Hamburg SV but losing on 4–0 at the Hamburg Arena. ^[1]

European record

UEFA Cup/Europa League

Season	Round	Opponents	Home Leg	Away Leg	Aggregate
2005–06	1	Vaduz	0–2	1–0	1–2
2008–09	1	Borac Cacak	1–1	1–3	2–4
2009–10	2	MŠK Žilina	0–2	1–0	0–3
2010–11	1	FK Zeta	0–0	1–1	1–1 (a)
	2	Kalmar FF	0–2	0–0	0–2

UEFA Champions League

Season	Round	Opponents	Home Leg	Away Leg	Aggregate
2011–12	Q2	Zestafoni	2–0	0–3	2–3

UEFA team ranking 2011

Rank	Country	Team	Points
265		Shamrock Rovers	2.741
266		Honvéd Budapest	2.700
267		Dacia Chişinău	2.549
		Iskra-Stal
269		Sūduva Marijampolė	2.541
		Vėtra Vilnius

As of 28 May 2011. Source

Current squad

As of 1 August

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 4 DF Denis Ilescu 5 DF Dumitru Popovici 7 MF Alexandru Onica 9 FW Ghenadie Orbu 11 MF Maxim Mihaliov 14 MF Vladimir Dragovozov 17 FW Alexandr Nechayev 19 DF Branislav Atanacković 20 MF Iulian Bursuc 22 FW Alexandru Dedov 24 DF Abdoul-Gafar Mamah 25 DF David Gamezardashvili

No. Position Player 27 DF Goran Dimovski 30 GK Artiom Gaiduchevici 47 MF Andrei Cojocari 81 GK Eugen Matiughin MF Janko Tumbasević MF Milos Krkotić MF Kemal Alomerović FW Vasily Pavlov FW Slaven Stjepanović DF Célio Ferreira dos Santos MF Leyzller Jorge Lopes De Araujo

League history

Season	Div.	Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GS	GA	P	Cup	Europe		Top Scorer (League)	Head Coach
2000–01	2nd	4	30	16	8	6	45	20	56		—
2001–02		1	30	23	6	1	69	13	75	Round of 8	—
2002–03	1st	4	28	8	8	8	24	28	32	Quarterfinals	—
2003–04		5	24	9	8	11	26	28	35	Semifinals	IC	3rd Round		Ursachi Caras
2004–05		3	28	14	3	11	38	31	45	Runner-Up	—			Caras
2005–06		6	28	7	9	12	28	39	30	Semifinals	UC	1st Round
2006–07		4	36	13	16	7	36	30	55	Quarterfinals	—
2007–08		2	30	19	5	6	60	28	62	Quarterfinals	IC	3rd Round
2008–09		2	30	20	3	7	47	17	63	Runner-Up	UC	1st Round		Caras Pylypchuk
2009–10		5	33	16	10	7	54	30	58	Runner-Up	EL	2nd Round		Pylypchuk Botnaraş Semionov
2010–11		1	39	27	11	1	66	16	92	Semifinals	EL	2nd Round	Orbu (22)	Dobrovolski
2011–12											UCL

Achievements

• Divizia Naţională (1): 2011
• Supercupa Moldovei (1): 2011

References

1. ^ http://www.fcdacia.md

External links

• Official site (Romanian) (Russian)
• Fans website (Romanian)
• Profile at DiviziaNationala.com (Romanian)