Cyprus national football team wins friendly against Moldova
On March 31, 2026, the Cyprus national football team defeated Moldova 3-2 in a friendly match held at the GSP Stadium. Grigoris Kastanos opened the scoring in the 5th minute, followed by two goals from Charalambos Charalambous in the 30th and 44th minutes to give Cyprus a 3-0 lead. Moldova responded in the second half with goals from Petru Popescu in the 55th minute and Victor Stina in the 88th minute. Cyprus coach Apostolos Mantzios expressed dissatisfaction with the team's defensive lapses and loss of cohesion during the final minutes, which allowed Moldova to nearly equalize when Stina hit the post in stoppage time. The match served as preparation for the upcoming Nations League, following a previous loss to Belarus. Cyprus is scheduled to play another friendly against Slovenia on June 4. The match saw multiple substitutions intended to provide playing time to several new players.