Moldova have little to lose against Holland

Zimbru Stadium will once again turn into a noisy cauldron of football enthusiasm and patriotism on Friday evening as Moldova take on this year’s World Cup runners up.
The arena in the capital Chisinau may hold just 10,500 fans, but the din can be quite overwhelming for visitors, even for seasoned professionals like Holland, says Dumitru Stoianov, sports reporter for Publika TV. 
“Matches involving the national team always draw a capacity crowd, and the singing and chanting can be rather disturbing for our opponents. The atmosphere is enhanced by the construction of the arena.”
Decibels
Built in 2006, the ground is modelled on lower-league English stadium design, with the stands close to the pitch and a low roof that does a good job of keeping the noise in. All those decibels are sure to have an impact, both on the visitors and the hosts.
There are more reasons why the Dutch shouldn’t take the current number 80 on the FIFA World Rankings too lightly.
“Traditionally, Moldova put up a good game at their home ground - no matter who they are playing. Even if Brazil were to come to Zimbru, they’d face stiff opposition, too.”
Shock win
This is precisely what Finland experienced in their opening Group E qualifying match for the 2012 European Championships, which ended in a 2-0 victory for Moldova – their first competitive win in almost three years.
Playing well doesn’t always give you a favourable result, Mr Stoianov explains.
“It often happens that Moldova play well but the opposing team scores in the last minutes, which is a common problem for small teams.”
This observation is back up by the previous Moldova-Holland encounter in 2003, when Mark van Bommel netted the winning goal for the Dutch in the 84th minute.
“This time, I would say, the chances are theoretically equal. Psychological pressure can affect the result, because Holland comes as the World Cup runners-up. In other words, a draw will be a success for us.”
Nigel de Jong
News about the high number of injuries on the orange front and the controversy about the disciplinary measure against Nigel de Jong have trickled through to Moldova. But not much has been made of it in the media, says Mr Stoianov. “The focus here is on the national team and on the match.”
And unlike the Netherlands, he points out with a smile, Moldova have little to lose:
“Qualifying for Euro 2012 is a must for Holland. For Moldova, it’s just a dream. That’s why the coach [Gavril Balint, ed.] and our federation don’t expect this from the national football team. Balint says his team don’t have to see qualification as their target, but that they should prepare every match to win. This is the only way for us to move on without pressure. The first two results show that this strategy is better for us.”