FC Zimbru Chișinău

Zimbru Chișinău

Full name	Fotbal Club Zimbru Chișinău
Nickname(s)	"Galben-verzii" (The yellow-greens)
Founded	1947
Ground	Zimbru Stadium
Capacity	10,400
Owner	Nicolae Ciornîi
Chairman	Igor Oprea
Manager	Simão Freitas
League	Divizia Națională
2014–15	6th
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours

FC Zimbru Chișinău is a Moldovan football club based in Chișinău, the capital of Moldova. They play in the Divizia Națională, the top division in Moldovan football.

Founded in the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic in 1947, Zimbru entered the Soviet Top League in 1956 and spent 11 seasons in it before their last relegation in 1983. The team was the early force in the independent Moldovan National Division, winning all of the first five championships and eight of the first nine, but have not won since.

History

Zimbru Chișinău was formed in 1947 in the Moldovan Soviet Republic (present day Republic of Moldova). 'Zimbru' is a Romanian word for a form of European bison, but the club also previously functioned under names such as Dynamo, Burevestnik, Moldova, Avântul, and Nistru. The Soviet Era was spent mostly in Class B of the regional league until eventual promotion to Class A. The club then flitted between Class A and Class B as well as spending time in the Soviet Top League and First League. In total, Zimbru spent 11 seasons in the Top League between 1956 and 1983. Zimbru had their biggest success in 1963 when they reached the quarter-finals of the Soviet Cup.
Zimbru's fortunes changed after the fall of the USSR and the establishment of the Republic of Moldova. The club won all five of the initial seasons of the Moldovan National Division (1992–96), and apart from finishing as runners-up to Chisinau rivals Constructorul Chișinău in 1996–97, won eight of the first nine championships. Zimbru have also won the Moldovan Cup six times, including a double in 1997–98. The club have participated in the UEFA Cup (losing to Sparta Prague) and the Champions League (losing to PSV Eindhoven in 1999 and Sparta Prague in 2000). Zimbru's biggest rivalry is with Sheriff Tiraspol, who in the last fifteen years have won thirteen championships.

Crest and colours

Since its foundation, Zimbru's colours always was yellow and green. Throughout history, Zimbru Chișinău had many logos. Traditional colours were always present on club crests.

Stadium

Zimbru Stadium

Full name	Zimbru Stadium
Location	Botanica, Chișinău
Owner	Zimbru Chișinău
Capacity	10,400[1]
Field size	105 x 68 m
Surface	Grass
Scoreboard	1,600 lux
Construction
Built	March 2004–May 2006
Opened	20 May 2006
Construction cost	$11 million
Architect	Ceproserving SA
Structural engineer	INCONEX-COM

FC Zimbru's home ground is Zimbru Stadium, a football-specific stadium in Botanica district, of Chișinău. It was opened in 2006. Stadium has a natural grass playing surface, and its capacity is 10,400.

Rivalries

In the 1990s (first decade of Moldova's independence), Zimbru's rival was other team from Chișinău city, Constructorul Chișinău. Then Contructorul has dissolved. In 1997, in Tiraspol was founded a new team, Sheriff Tiraspol. In a few years Sheriff was promoted to the first league and became a force in Moldovan football. Considering the force of team and the tensions between Moldovans and separatist Transnistrians, the match between Zimbru and Sheriff became a derby, the most important match in country. Further it was named "Derby of Moldova". Other rivalry was established in the mid 2000s when Dacia Chișinău, another team from Chișinău became one of Moldovan top teams. Also Zimbru has a rivalry with Olimpia Bălți.

Rankings

UEFA team ranking 2016

Rank	Country	Team	Points
311		Irtysh	3.825
312		Tobol	3.825
313		Zimbru Chișinău	3.825
314		Breidablik	3.750
315		Široki Brijeg	3.675

As of 14 February 2016. Source

Honours

Moldova

• Divizia Națională / Liga Națională / Superliga

Champion (8): 1992, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1995–96, 1997–98, 1998–99, 1999–00

Runner-up (5): 1996–97, 2000–01, 2002–03, 2005–06, 2006–07

Third place (4): 2001–02, 2003–04, 2011–12, 2015–16

• Cupa Moldovei

Winner (6): 1996–97, 1997–98, 2002–03, 2003–04, 2006–07, 2013–14

Runner-up (2): 1994–95, 1999–00

• Supercupa Moldovei

Winner (1): 2014

Runner-up (3): 2003, 2004, 2007

Soviet Union

• Soviet Top League:

6th place: 1956

• Soviet Cup:

Quarter-finals: 1963

International

• UEFA Cup:

1/16 of final: 1995–96

• CIS Cup:

Runner-up: 2000

League history

Timeline

Table

Season	Div.	Pos.	Pl.	W	D	L	GS	GA	P	Cup	Europe		Top scorer (league)
1992	Divizia Națională	1	22	15	5	2	40	15	35	1/4	–		Alexandru Spiridon Iurie Miterev – 8
1992–93		1	30	22	6	2	66	17	50	1/8	–		Alexandru Spiridon – 12
1993–94		1	30	25	2	3	86	22	52	1/2	UCL	PR	Serghei Cleșcenco – 14
1994–95		1	26	21	4	1	69	10	67	RU	UC	PR	Serghei Cleșcenco – 11
1995–96		1	30	26	3	1	110	11	81	1/4	UC	R2	Vladislav Gavriliuc – 34
1996–97		2	30	22	4	4	112	21	70	W	UC	PR	Iurie Miterev – 34
1997–98		1	26	22	3	1	75	8	69	W	CWC	QR	Serghei Cleșcenco – 25
1998–99		1	26	18	7	1	43	9	61	1/4	UCL	Q1	Vladislav Gavriliuc – 10
1999–00		1	36	25	7	4	78	21	82	RU	UCL UC	Q3 R1	Victor Berco – 15
2000–01		2	28	20	6	2	46	15	66	1/2	UCL UC	Q3 R1	Iurie Miterev – 8
2001–02		3	28	12	10	6	52	20	46	1/2	UC	QR	Victor Berco – 12
2002–03		2	24	15	5	4	47	20	50	W	UC	R1	Vladimir Shishelov – 13
2003–04		3	28	14	7	7	40	23	49	W	UC	R1	Vladimir Shishelov – 15
2004–05		5	28	12	7	9	29	15	43	1/4	–		Sergiu Chirilov – 7
2005–06		2	28	15	8	5	47	20	53	1/2	–		Sergiu Chirilov – 11
2006–07		2	36	21	8	7	63	23	71	W	UC	Q2	Alexei Zhdanov – 14
2007–08		5	30	13	13	4	43	21	52	1/2	UC	Q1	Alexei Zhdanov – 12
2008–09		4	30	13	7	10	42	30	46	1/2	–		Oleg Andronic – 16
2009–10		4	33	17	8	8	47	29	59	1/4	UEL	Q2	Andrei Secrieru – 7
2010–11		4	39	22	10	7	56	20	76	1/8	–		Oleg Andronic – 9
2011–12		3	33	17	10	6	47	24	61	1/4	–		Oleg Molla – 14
2012–13		6	33	12	10	11	53	38	46	1/4	UEL	Q2	Oleg Molla – 7
2013–14		4	33	18	7	8	56	24	61	W	–		Sergey Tsyganov – 13
2014–15		6	24	7	6	11	23	19	27	1/4	UEL	PO	Alexandru Dedov – 4
2015–16		3								1/4	–
2016–17											UEL

European record

UEFA Champions League

Season	Round	Opponents	Home leg	Away leg	Aggregate
1993–94	PR	Beitar Jerusalem	1–1	0–2	1–3
1998–99	Q1	Újpest	1–0	1–3	2–3
1999–00	Q1	St Patrick's Athletic	5–0	5–0	10–0
	Q2	Dinamo Tbilisi	2–0	1–2	3–2
	Q3	PSV Eindhoven	0–0	0–2	0–2
2000–01	Q1	KF Tirana	3–2	3–2	6–4
	Q2	Maribor	2–0	0–1	2–1
	Q3	Sparta Prague	0–1	0–1	0–2

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

Season	Round	Opponents	Home leg	Away leg	Aggregate
1997–98	QR	Shakhtar Donetsk	1–1	0–3	1–4

UEFA Cup

Season	Round	Opponents	Home leg	Away leg	Aggregate
1994–95	PR	Budapest Honvéd	0–1	1–4	1–5
1995–96	PR	Hapoel Tel Aviv	2–0	0–0	2–0
	R1	RAF Jelgava	1–0	2–1	3–1
	R2	Sparta Prague	0–2	3–4	3–6
1996–97	PR	Hajduk Split	0–4	1–2	1–6
1999–00	R1	Tottenham Hotspur	0–0	0–3	0–3
2000–01	R1	Hertha BSC	1–2	0–2	1–4
2001–02	QR	Gaziantepspor	0–0	1–4	1–4
2002–03	QR	IFK Göteborg	3–1	2–2	5–3
	R1	Real Betis	0–2	1–2	1–4
2003–04	QR	Litex Lovech	2–0	0–0	2–0
	R1	Aris	1–1	1–2	2–3
2006–07	Q1	Qarabağ	1–1	2–1 (aet)	3–2
	Q2	Metalurh Zaporizhya	0–0	0–3	0–3
2007–08	Q1	Artmedia Bratislava	2–2	1–1	3–3 (a)

UEFA Europa League

Season	Round	Opponents	Home leg	Away leg	Aggregate
2009–10	Q1	Okzhetpes	1–2	2–0	3–2
	Q2	Paços de Ferreira	0–0	0–1	0–1
2012–13	Q1	Bangor City	2–1	0–0	2–1
	Q2	Young Boys	1–0	0–1	1–1 (1–4 pen.)
2014–15	Q1	FK Shkëndija	2–0	1–2	3–2
	Q2	CSKA Sofia	0–0	1–1	1–1 (a)
	Q3	SV Grödig	0–1	2–1	2–2 (a)
	PO	PAOK	1–0	0–4	1–4

Notes: PR - preliminary round. QR - qualifying round. R1 - First round. R2 - Second round
Q1, Q2, Q3 - qualifying rounds. PO - play-off round.

Player of the year

Zimbru players who received the award Moldovan Footballer of the Year:

Year	Winner
1992	Alexandru Spiridon
1993	Alexandru Curtianu
1994	Serghei Cleșcenco
1995	Ion Testemițanu
1997	Ion Testemițanu
1999	Sergiu Epureanu
2002	Boris Cebotari

Current squad

As of 12 April 2016^[2]

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

No. Position Player 1 GK Vozinha 12 GK Emil Tîmbur 23 GK Denis Rusu 3 DF Ștefan Burghiu 4 DF Daniel Vlas 5 DF Alexandru Starîș 15 DF Alexandru Belevschi 33 DF Hélio 44 DF Dinu Graur 90 DF Ion Jardan (captain) 7 MF Alexandre Ludovic

No. Position Player 8 MF Gheorghe Anton 10 MF Rui Miguel (vice-captain) 17 MF Calú 29 MF Alex Bruno 94 MF Dan Spătaru 9 FW Ilie Damașcan 11 FW Talles Cunha 20 FW Edivândio 25 FW Jean-Marie Amani 77 FW Álvaro Jaló

Current reserve players with first-team experience

As of 12 April 2016^{[upper-alpha 1]}

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

No. Position Player 2 DF Anatolie Prepeliță 18 MF Vadim Bejenari — DF Andrei Trifan

No. Position Player — MF Veaceslav Zagaevschi — FW Vitalie Damașcan

Youth/reserves squad

As of UEFA Youth League,updated on 21 October 2015.^[3]

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

No. Position Player 1 GK Emil Tîmbur 12 GK Vladimir Morozan 16 GK Vasile Magla 2 DF Igor Arhirii 3 DF Daniel Muntean 4 DF Anatolie Prepeliță 5 DF Cristian Cazacu 6 DF Vladimir Bobrov 13 DF Andrei Trifan 14 DF Artur Focșa 15 DF Vadim Crudu 21 DF Cristian Ursu 7 MF Nicolae Bortă

No. Position Player 8 MF Vadim Bejenari (captain) 9 MF Veaceslav Zagaevschi 10 MF Rodrigo Bostan 17 MF Mihail Galeșco 18 MF Marin Stan 19 MF Vergiliu Olaru 22 MF Dan Ursu 24 MF Cristian Nagornîi 25 MF Cristian Boicu 11 FW Daniel Danu 20 FW Riceard Traistari 23 FW Vitalie Damașcan

Club officials

Technical staff As of 5 March 2016[4] Role Name Head coach Simão Freitas Physical fitness coach Ivo Roque Goalkeeping coach Denis Romanenco Club doctor Adrian Mihaluța Masseur Petru Caraman

Club management As of 5 March 2016[5] Role Name President Nicolae Ciornîi General director Igor Oprea Sporting director Alexei Popa

Notable players

The following is a list of former Zimbru players which have made significant contributions to the club while playing for the team.

At least one of the following criteria has to be met for a player to appear on the list:

• A player has made at least 200 appearances for the club in domestic league competitions.
• A player has scored at least 40 goals for the club in domestic league competitions.
• Otherwise, also included players who received the award Moldovan Footballer of the Year while playing for Zimbru, and club's top scorer in UEFA Champions League competition.

Gheorghe Tegleațov Anatol Morarița Vladimir Țincler Yuri Korotkov Ion Caras Valeriy Volostnyh Anatol Rîbac Ihor Nadein

Anatol Teslev Yuri Hlopotnov Nicolae Cebotari Mikhail Mukhortov Anatol Mironov Evgeniy Piunovski Nikolai Mikhailov Vyacheslav Protsenko

Alexandru Mațiura Pavel Cebanu Serghei Dubrovin Sergiu Sîrbu Alexandru Spiridon Ion Testemițanu Radu Rebeja Iurie Miterev

Boris Cebotari Denis Romanenco Vladislav Gavriliuc Serghei Cleșcenco Alexandru Curteian Sergiu Epureanu Vadim Boreț Victor Berco

Notable managers

The following nine managers won at least one trophy with Zimbru.The managers are listed according to when they were first appointed manager for FC Zimbru.

Name	Trophies
Sergiu Sîrbu	1 Superliga, 1 Liga Națională
Alexandru Spiridon	3 Liga Națională
Ion Caras	1 Cupa Moldovei
Semen Altman	2 Divizia Națională, 1 Cupa Moldovei
Oleksandr Skrypnyk	1 Divizia Națională
Gabriel Stan	1 Cupa Moldovei
Gheorghe Niculescu	1 Cupa Moldovei
Alexandru Curteian	1 Cupa Moldovei
Oleg Kubarev	1 Cupa Moldovei, 1 Supercupa Moldovei

Footnotes

1. Current reserve players who at least have sat on the bench in a competitive match.

References

1. "Stadium capacity" (PDF).uefa.com
2. Zimbru Chișinău Team - 2015/2016
3. Zimbru Youth - 2015/2016
4. Technical staff
5. Club management

External links

• Official website (Romanian) (Russian) (English)
• Profile at soccerway.com (English)
• Zimbru Chișinău at weltfussballarchiv.com
• Zimbru Chișinău supporters website - general
• Zimbru Chișinău supporters website - ”OASTEA FIARĂ”
• Zimbru Chișinău supporters website - ”ULTRABOYS”
• Profile at footballfacts.ru (Russian)