One way to settle a title

On Friday Moldova's top two Dacia and Sherrif Tiraspol both met in the final game of the league season. A win for either would secure the title and champions league football in July while a draw would force the tie-breaker. Both sides came into the game locked on sixty-four points each after twenty-six games. A defeat for Dacia two weeks ago at Milsami Orhei coupled with Sheriff's narrow 1-0 success away at Dinamo-Auto meant both sides would be going into the head-to-head level on points after they both registered victories last weekend.

In Moldova's Divizia Națională the tie-breaker for teams going for the title when level on points in a play-off. At the other end of the table both Academica Chișinău and Petroclub both finished level on points but it was the head-to-head tie breaker that ultimately saw Academica relegated. An so after Friday's 1-1 stalemate between the two sides, a play-off will be required to determine to champions. This is the only league in Europe in 2015-16 that will be going to a play-off to decide the winners. All other leagues use goal difference, goals scored or head-to-head results to separate teams level on points but in Moldova the play-off is the tie-breaker after points. 

The play-off will take place at a neutral venue, Zimbru's home ground has been chosen and will be played next Sunday. 

Dacia are aiming for only their second ever league title after first winning it in 2010-11 which ended the utter dominance of their opponents in the play-off Sheriff who were in that season aiming for their eleventh straight league title. For Sheriff they are looking to add to their haul of thirteen league titles since independence in 1992. 
Only five different sides have claimed the title in Moldova. The other three are Zimbru based in the capital Chișinău who have eight titles, Milsami Orhei who won their first title last season and Constructorul Chișinău who later became FC Tiraspol and are now no longer in existence after dissolving last year, they won the title once in 1996-97.