The first three rounds are the Preliminary Rounds, in which teams from the fourth tier (currently the Pridnestrovian, Ixanian, and Hatay State Leagues) compete against each other to determine who gets to join the teams from the first to third tiers in the so-called "Proper Rounds." Teams enter the preliminary rounds based on their standings the previous season.
2022-23 Pridnestrovian Cup First Preliminary Round
The twelve lowest teams in the State Leagues (the four lowest teams in each of the three leagues irrespective of their records in a combined table) enter the competition at the first preliminary round. The six winners of this round will advance to the second preliminary round, where they will be joined by the rest of the teams from the State Leagues.
VfL Osthaus-Feuerstadt 02 4–1 Antakyaspor II
Titania Iupiter 3–0 Aviapromet Olimp II
Adana Karnakspor 4–0 Zvezda Apollinarov
Herzog-Philipp-Stadt 2–2 CSKA Muktarbariyevo (3–2 AET)
Chernomorets Bratsk II 2–3 Gumus Özturkiyye
Sumzat Cumhuriyespor 0–0 FK Pridnestrovskaya Gavan II (2–1 AET)
In a somewhat surprising turn of events, all four teams from the Pridnestrovian State League were knocked out of the Pridnestrovian Cup almost immediately after entering. Three of the Pridnestrovian sides did put up a good fight against their opponents, with two of them even managed to force the contest into the extra time where they both unfortunately lost anyway. The same cannot be said for Zvezda Apollinarov, who were smashed 4-0 by Adana Karnakspor from Hatay. That should give the Pagans some confidence as they head into the next preliminary round.
2022-23 Pridnestrovian Cup Second Preliminary Round
The remaining 34 teams from the State Leagues join the six winners of the First Preliminary Round to create a field of forty (40) teams. They will all battle it out in the second preliminary round until twenty remain, and then those twenty remaining teams will fight until ten remains to join the 54 clubs in the Pridnestrovian Super League, Pridnestrovian National Premier Football League, and Pridnestrovian Top League waiting for them in the First Round Proper.
Eggolsheimer-Neuseser Kickers 0–2 Arsenal Tuzla
Gumus Özturkiyye 1–3 Sheriff Tiraspol II
Al-Manama 2–3 Tennis Dacia Althaus
Derinkuyuspor II 0–0 Poveda Vlaha (0–1 AET)
Traktor Bender 4–2 Bierburger SV II
Baltika Tukums 0–1 Adana Karnakspor
Red Star Vitosha 2–0 Jinarspor
Lokomotiv Dnistrolvovsk 5–2 Mittgensteiner SV
Hekel Teke 3–3 Unterspielsdorf FC (4–3 AET)
Olimpica Vanatori 3–2 Palmyraspor
Titania Iupiter 4–7 Admiral Novorossiysk II
Politehnica Mosneni 3–2 Dimashqspor
SG 08 Chemie Mitwitz 3–3 Avtozavod Pecineaga (3–3 AET) (3–0 pen.)
Incirlikspor 5–3 Herzog-Philipp-Stadt
VfL Osthaus-Feuerstadt 02 1–1 Metallurgist Dnistropavlovsk (2–2 AET) (6–7 pen.)
Nickel Norilsk 1–0 Chernomorets Vladikarpaty
Nickel Novorossiysk 2–3 Teuschnitzer SC
Sumzat Cumhuriyespor 1–1 Union Rheinburg II (1–2 AET)
Nickel Divnogorsk 1–0 Amzaceaspor II
Poveda Umayevsk 3–1 Shakhtyor Novosverdlovsk
Surprising nobody at all, only one of the teams from the First Preliminary Round survived the second preliminary, and that is Adana Karnakspor. Looks like the Pagans did take faith in their performance against Zvezda Apollinarov, and while they didn't smash their opponents once again, a single goal was more than enough to take them through to the Third and final Preliminary Round.
2022-23 Pridnestrovian Cup Third Preliminary Round
Twenty (20) teams become ten (10). These ten teams will advance to the First Round, where the rest of the teams from the first to third tiers of Pridnestrovian football await them.
Admiral Novorossiysk II 1–0 Metallurgist Dnistropavlovsk
Incirlikspor 2–2 SG 08 Chemie Mitwitz (2–2 AET) (4–2 pen.)
Adana Karnakspor 0–1 Nickel Divnogorsk
Lokomotiv Dnistrolvovsk 3–3 Politehnica Mosneni (4–4 AET) (3–1 pen.)
Union Rheinburg II 3–3 Hekel Teke (3–5 AET)
Sheriff Tiraspol II 3–3 Poveda Umayevsk (4–3 AET)
Poveda Vlaha 4–2 Tennis Dacia Althaus
Teuschnitzer SC 5–2 Nickel Norilsk
Olimpica Vanatori 4–3 Traktor Bender
Arsenal Tuzla 4–3 Red Star Vitosha
The dream ends here for Adana Karnakspor as a single goal from Nickel Divnogorsk knocks them out of the competition. In other news, the three reserve sides still playing in the competition fought long and hard for their place in the First Round proper, but for one of them it would be too much of an effort. Admiral Novorossiysk II barely squeezed past the Blacksmiths of Metallurgist Dnistropavlovsk thanks to a late goal from the young Rudolf Zhereyev, who really stands a chance to be called up to the senior side if he continues on his upward trajectory. (Zhereyev won't be able to play for the senior Admiral Novorossiysk side though because he has already appeared for Admiral II which constitutes a separate team in the eyes of the Pridnestrovian Cup rules). The other reserve sides went into extra time to decide their fates, and in the end, only one of them, Sheriff Tiraspol II, survived the challenge. Two goals at either half of extra time for Hatay side Hekel Teke knocked Union Rheinburg II out of the cup, and now we have the ten teams that will be joined by the 54 teams from the first, second, and third tiers of Pridnestrovian football in the First Round proper of the Pridnestrovian Cup.
2022-23 Pridnestrovian Cup First Round
The first proper round of the Pridnestrovian Cup is now upon us. The ten surviving teams from the Third Preliminary Round join the 54 teams from the Pridnestrovian Super League, Pridnestrovian National Premier Football League, and Pridnestrovian Top League at this stage of the competition. This is where some clubs will gain fame and others infamy.
Opalgebirge Kesselburg 1–0 Rotor Dnistrosh
FC 23 August 1–0 Avion Topraisar
Elektrik Admiralnaya 0–0 Olimpia Strebsk (2–0 AET)
Baltika Belgorod 1–1 Arsenal Tuzla (1–1 AET) (4–2 pen.)
Vorpommern Nyqvist 2–3 Kesselburger Kickers
Aviapromet Olimp 1–0 Union Rheinburg
Admiral Novorossiysk II 2–2 Masyafspor (2–3 AET)
Spartak Tiraspol 4–1 Lokomotiv Novosverdlovsk
Wormatia Wewelsburg 2–0 Atom Zheleznogorsk
Larnakaspor 4–1 Fortuna Novonikolaysk
Dinamo Macaresti 4–3 Politehnica Pecineaga
Bierburger SV 2–2 Palatine Opals (2–2 AET) (3–4 pen.)
Metallurgist Beledor 1–1 FK Sonolovichyrevko (2–1 AET)
Admiral Novorossiysk 4–1 Derinkuyuspor
FK Pridnestrovskaya Gavan 5–0 Teuschnitzer SC
Hekel Teke 4–2 Nickel Divnogorsk
Exiles FK 3–3 Olimpica Vanatori (3–3 AET) (3–4 pen.)
Antakyaspor 3–1 Unversitate Vanatori
CSKA Tiraspol 2–3 Raketa Palatinsk
Amzaceaspor 4–3 Spartak Sonolovichyrevko
Star City FC 0–1 Shakhtar Rheinburg
Dinamo Vitebsk 1–0 Bryan Bryansk
1895 Lekhwiya Pepuza 1–1 Zenit Vladiyug (1–1 AET) (4–5 pen.)
Submarin Yeralenko 5–0 Sheriff Tiraspol II
Poveda Vlaha 3–3 Torpedo Yeralenko (4–4 AET) (1–3 pen.)
Chernomorets Bratsk 3–2 Renechev Revolution
Sheriff Tiraspol 3–1 Admiral Tuzla
Latakiaspor 4–2 Dnistro Dnistropavlovsk
Lokomotiv Dnistrolvovsk 2–4 Ufa Verkhovyansk
Incirlikspor 0–2 Szigetszentmiklos
Submarin Admiralnaya 0–2 Dinamo Bender
Dynamo Wismut 0–1 Neptunas Neptun
The biggest story of the first round is the shock elimination of the defending champions CSKA Tiraspol at the hands of Top League (third tier) side Raketa Palatinsk. CSKA had just sacked their former manager Ivan Krasnopresnensky and looked to be gaining ground in the PSL title race under Fleftic caretaker manager Arthur Robson, and they also looked good for this tie when goals from Wilfried Halberstam and Oleg Novikov in the first half looked to have decided the game in favor of the Army Club, but then Palatinsk staged a second half comeback which eventually ended in the Rocketmen's 20-year-old substitute striker Konstantin Demchenko heading home from a corner in the fifth minute of stoppage time to create what is arguably the most sensational giant-killing of all time.
Another significant result from the First Round is the elimination of the defending PSL champions, Fortuna Novonikolaysk, by Larnakaspor, who were only recently relegated to the Top League. And when we say eliminated, Fortuna weren't just simply eliminated by Larnaka; they were embarrassed out of the Pridnestrovian Cup. Granted, the Fortune Giants didn't field their strongest side for this competition as they had focused on Super League survival once again, but this was a gamble that didn't work. Fortuna's young Fleftic left back Park Min-ho scored a goal for the Fortune Giants but it was little more than a consolation goal with the score already 3-0 in favor of the Interceptors, and they also netted at the end of regulation time to settle the contest 4-1 in favor of Larnakaspor.
In other surprising results, former PSL champion and four-time Pridnestrovian Cup winners Rotor Dnistrosh were knocked out in the First Round by a single goal from Opalgebirge Kesselburg's Cornelius Wagner; Kesselburger Kickers shocked everyone by winning at the home of Vorpommern Nyqvist, generally considered to be a fortress for the Mountain Men; and Aviapromet Olimp, recently promoted to the Super League after winning the playoff against FC 23 August, triumphed against Union Rheinburg with Dimitar Shevchenko scoring the winning goal for the Aviators. This sets us up for a very interesting Second Round in which some of the favorites are now out of the picture. Who shall step in to take their place?
2022-23 Pridnestrovian Cup Second Round
The sixty-four (64) teams of the First Round have become thirty-two (32). Some favorites like the defending champions CSKA Tiraspol and ten-tine winners Union Rheinburg have been eliminated while others like Sheriff Tiraspol and Admiral Novorossiysk are still standing strong. Who will advance and who will bow out?
Amzaceaspor 4–3 Palatine Opals
Dinamo Vitebsk 0–0 Elektrik Admiralnaya (1–2 AET)
Raketa Palatinsk 1–1 FK Pridnestrovskaya Gavan (2–2 AET) (4–3 pen.)
Olimpica Vanatori 2–3 Masyafspor
Torpedo Yeralenko 3–3 Kesselburger Kickers (3–4 AET)
Opalgebirge Kesselburg 1–3 Baltika Belgorod
Zenit Vladiyug 1–0 Latakiaspor
Metallurgist Beledor 0–1 Wormatia Wewelsburg
Spartak Tiraspol 1–0 Admiral Novorossiysk
Neptunas Neptun 0–5 Antakyaspor
FC 23 August 2–0 Dinamo Macaresti
Szigetszentmiklos 0–0 Dinamo Bender (1–0 AET)
Ufa Verkhovyansk 0–0 Sheriff Tiraspol (1–1 AET) (3–4 pen.)
Larnakaspor 4–1 Hekel Teke
Submarin Yeralenko 2–0 Chernomorets Bratsk
Aviapromet Olimp 1–2 Shakhtar Rheinburg
Where do we start with all these astonishing results? Let's start over at the Island of Saint Michael, where some sort of miracle that could be attributed to the good saint has happened: Szigetszentmiklos has just knocked out Dinamo Bender from the Pridnestrovian Cup! In the five times that the Saints have faced the Dynamos, Bender have come out triumphant five times out of five so Szigetszentmiklos were not expecting anything from this contest; instead, they got not only the win but also a spot in the Third Round of the Pridnestrovian Cup. And they have none other than their hometown hero, Szabolcs Attila, and his curling rocket of a shot in extra time to thank for their unexpected but welcome victory against Bender.
Other surprising results from the Second Round include Admiral Novorossiysk being eliminated by Spartak Tiraspol; Chernomorets Bratsk bowing out of the competition following a two-goal defeat away to Submarin Admiralnaya, who at this point are looking like very likely candidates for automatic relegation to the National Premier Football League; and FC 23 August knocking out Dinamo Macaresti thanks to the Beach Boys' Buyanese captain Kristupijas Dobrovolskas and Aleksey Nenechko. Metallurgist Beledor also had to endure a great shock in front of their home fans as visiting Wormatia Wewelsburg sneaked in an early goal and never looked like relinquishing their slim lead. And, while it wouldn't have been too much of a shock if they had defeated them, Ufa Verkhovyansk did manage to take Sheriff Tiraspol all the way to penalties but the day proved to be Sheriff's and Sheriff's only with Vladislav Bogomolov scoring the winning penalty to put the Super League leaders through to the Third Round of the competition.
As for the sides that killed some giants on their way to the Second Round, Raketa Palatinsk also advanced to the Third Round at the expense of FK Pridnestrovskaya Gavan but only after an enthralling penalty shootout which had everything from stratospheric misses to goalkeeper blunders to the absolute cheekiness of both a failed and successful Panenka. Aviapromet Olimp's journey to the Third Round was stopped by Shakhtar Rheinburg, who will hate that they now appeared to have avenged their city rivals Union against the team that knocked them out of the competition in the previous round. And Larnakaspor is still tearing up defenses although this time it was Hekel Teke of the Hatay State League on the wrong end of Larnakaspor's beating.
2022-23 Pridnestrovian Cup Third Round
As the field narrows even further, more and more favorites are bowing out and more and more unlikely teams are becoming likelier than most to get something out of this competition. Who shall remain standing following the gauntlet that is the Third Round of the Pridnestrovian Cup?
Amzaceaspor 1–0 Wormatia Wewelsburg
Sheriff Tiraspol 3–1 Spartak Tiraspol
Masyafspor 0–0 Elektrik Admiralnaya (0–0 AET) (3–0 pen.)
Raketa Palatinsk 2–3 Antakyaspor
FC 23 August 4–2 Larnakaspor
Kesselburger Kickers 3–0 Baltika Belgorod
Szigetszentmiklos 2–2 Submarin Yeralenko (2–2 AET) (0–3 pen.)
Zenit Vladiyug 0–0 Shakhtar Rheinburg (0–0 AET) (4–5 pen.)
The Third Round saw the return of the Lesser Tiraspol derby, even if it was just for ninety minutes. Sheriff showed just how unstoppable they were not only in the Super League but also in the Pridnestrovian Cup as they started things off the right way (for them at least) when Urgan Spetsiuk scored the first goal in just three minutes, and Sheriff never looked back after that. Former Sheriff academy product Yaroslav Vestergard tapped home a consolation for Spartak, and while that goal will stand out for him as the goal he scored against the club that let him go after saying that he didn't "have a finishing touch to his game", the goal remains meaningless as Sheriff walked away 3-1 winners.
Five teams making some of the deepest cup runs in their history saw those runs ended this round: Wormatia Wewelsburg was finally stopped by a single goal from Amzaceaspor; Antakyaspor put an end to Raketa Palatinsk's dreams of appearing in their first ever Pridnestrovian Cup quarterfinal after a hard-fought battle which eventually ended with the Deacons as 3-2 winners; FC 23 August ended up being too much for Larnakaspor to handle; and both Szigetszentmiklos and Zenit Vladiyug saw their runs ended in penalties by Super League sides (Submarin Yeralenko and Shakhtar Rheinburg, respectively).
2022-23 Pridnestrovian Cup quarterfinals
We now have an almost equal distribution of teams throughout Pridnestrovia, Ixania, and Hatay in the quarterfinals; it truly is anyone's game now, although some might be leaning towards Sheriff possibly taking home the double. Will it be, or will someone else take home that coveted Pridnestrovian Cup?
Masyafspor 1–0 Antakyaspor
Shakhtar Rheinburg 1–0 Submarin Yeralenko
Sheriff Tiraspol 3–2 Kesselburger Kickers
FC 23 August 4–2 Amzaceaspor
Masyafspor have appeared out of nowhere and are now on their way to their first ever Pridnestrovian Cup semifinal in the post-unification era. As a Top League side, no one simply paid any attention to them before, expecting them to be knocked out sometime in the previous three rounds. But here they are now, and while all they had to do was defeat fellow Top League side Antakyaspor by a single, that still puts them in the Pridnestrovian Cup semifinals. No mean feat for a third-tier side that had never reached this stage of the competition until now. Meanwhile, over at Shakhtar Stadium, Shakhtar Rheinburg also triumphed over Submarin Yeralenko, also by a single goal. But while the scoreline may suggest a boring game, it was anything but as both sides had plenty of opportunities to score; the both just didn't take it until Shakhtar's fiery Oontaznik winger Maicon Pacheco stroked home in the 85th minute to seal the Gasmen's passage to the semifinals.
The other two matches were equally nailbiting, edge-of-the-seat stuff. Sheriff Tiraspol and Kesselburger Kickers exchanged blows and goals until Sheriff's Khristo Khludensky's deflected shot decided it in favor of the Sheriffs. FC 23 August did a better job of things even though Amzaceaspor threatened to spoil it by the 70th minute or so, when the Beach Boys' 3-0 lead turned to a 3-2 scoreline in the span of just five minutes. Thankfully their captain Kristupijas Dobrovolskas came up trumps for them and headed home the deciding goal that restored a two-goal cushion for them and also killed off any momentum that Amzaceaspor may have gotten following those two rapid-fire goals.
So now the semifinals will be contested by FC 23 August, Masyafspor, Shakhtar Rheinburg, and Sheriff Tiraspol. Who shall face each other for the right to fight for the Pridnestrovian Cup in the final in Army Stadium?
2022-23 Pridnestrovian Cup semifinals
This is the only time in the competition in which teams will face each other across two legs, one home and one away, for the right to progress to the Pridnestrovian Cup Final. The order in which the teams were drawn will determine who will play the home leg first.
Semifinal 1: Sheriff Tiraspol vs Shakhtar Rheinburg
Leg 1 @ Sheriff Stadium, Tiraspol, Transnistrian Socialist State
Sheriff Tiraspol 2–3 Shakhtar Rheinburg
Leg 2 @ Shakhtar Stadium, Rheinburg, Ixanian Socialist State
Shakhtar Rheinburg 1–1 Sheriff Tiraspol
Shakhtar Rheinburg advances to the Pridnestrovian Cup Final 4-3 on aggregate
This was Sheriff's semifinal to lose, and boy did they lose it. Sheriff manager Ignatius Braun took all the blame upon himself but while this certainly won't mean the sack for him as Sheriff still has a chance at winning the Pridnestrovian Super League title, the double is now well beyond his reach. Everyone knows the dangers of a 1-0 lead and Sheriff demonstrated just exactly why that is by surrendering two goals in the span of sixteen minutes, and while they managed to force an equalizer, Shakhtar's Isidor Kostenko decided the game in favor of the Gasmen after nipping in behind the Sheriff defense to side-foot home the cross from Balthazar Mereilles.
Sheriff went into the second leg knowing that they needed to score two goals and not concede any to Shakhtar if they wanted to advance to the Pridnestrovian Cup final, and while they did get a goal from Vladislav Bogomolov early in the game, Shakhtar's defense battened down the hatches and stopped Sheriff from finding that second decisive goal. In the end, Isidor Kostenko put the final nail in the coffin of Sheriff's double hopes as his 86th minute equalizer ensured Shakhtar's advancement to the Pridnestrovian Cup Final.
Semifinal 2: FC 23 August vs Masyafspor
Leg 1 @ NXTair Stadium, 23 August, Ixanian Socialist State
FC 23 August 4–3 Masyafspor
Leg 2 @ The Stadium on the Hill, Masyaf, Hatay Socialist State
Masyafspor 6–2 FC 23 August
Masyafspor advances to the Pridnestrovian Cup Final 9-6 on aggregate
Everyone expects FC 23 August to score loads of goals anytime they set foot on the pitch, and that is exactly what they did. The only problem is that on the day that they needed to score many goals, their opponents just happened to score more than they did. Four goals more on the night, in fact, and three goals more on aggregate. Just as no one expected Masyafspor to come charging out of the gates like this, they sprung their surprise and left the Beach Boys completely in the dust. Just for how long FC 23 August will have to recover from the shock of a Top League side scoring nine goals across two legs against them (six of those goals came in one leg!) remains to be seen, but for Masyaf, they can already begin planning that open-top bus parade, if fortune should ever smile upon them in the final.
2022-23 Pridnestrovian Cup Final
And now it comes down to this. Hatay versus Ixania; Masyaf versus Rheinburg; Assassins versus Gasmen. Will Masyafspor sneak their way to victory or will Shakhtar Rheinburg light their way to the Pridnestrovian Cup? Let us all find out together.
