Children from the commune of Zagarancea, Ungheni district, have come home from France as champions. FC Zagarancea, the U-16 youth team gathered by physical-education teacher Sebastian Andriuța, won the second edition of the international «Friendship Cup», held between 29 June and 6 July in Montmorillon, in western France — and did so by beating the host team itself in the final.
3–2 in the final, against the hosts
The tournament brought together four teams, the same as at the first edition: FC Zagarancea (Republic of Moldova), the hosts UES Montmorillon, Academia Mihai Roman — which gathers children from the Putna–Vicovu de Sus area of Romania — and FC Khotyn from Ukraine.
In the final, the boys from Zagarancea got past the French hosts 3–2 — on a penalty shootout, according to the account of the commune’s mayor, Vasile Gaviuc. Academia Mihai Roman and FC Khotyn took the next places. It is the team’s second win in a row: at the first edition, held in July 2025 in Putna itself, Zagarancea had also won.
The mayor of Ungheni, Vitalie Vrabie, congratulated the team: «Proud of you!»
How children from Zagarancea came to play in France
The road to Montmorillon tells, in fact, a story about twinnings carried through to the end. The commune of Zagarancea twinned in January 2025 with Putna, in Romania’s Suceava county, and Putna has been linked to the French town of Montmorillon since 2013. It was along this chain that the boys reached the French pitch, invited to a tournament built precisely on the idea of friendship between communities.
Over the few days spent in France, the children were hosted by local families and had a programme beyond football — a visit to the town of Montmorillon and to the Futuroscope theme park. The men’s vocal group of the «Datina» folk ensemble travelled with the team, bringing the folk song of Ungheni district before the hosts.
Coach Sebastian Andriuța, who gathered the boys from several localities of the district, is once again the name behind the result. A team of children from a commune on the bank of the Prut has won, for the second time in a row, an international tournament in France — carrying, on their shirts and in their song, the name of Ungheni district.