Led by midfielder Ricardo Farcaș and striker Sekou Camara—who opened the scoring before being substituted with a muscle injury—Iași claimed a notable 2-1 victory over Turkmen champions FK Arkadag in their second pre-season friendly at the club’s Bansko training base. The result comes days after a goalless draw against Romanian second-tier rivals Metalul Buzău, and marks a positive step for the recently relegated Superliga side preparing for life in Liga 2 under new manager Tony Da Silva.
Arkadag, founded just two years ago in 2023, are already Asian Champions League qualifiers and back-to-back domestic champions—a rare feat for such a young club. Meanwhile, Iași’s coaching staff are using these matches to assess new signings and squad depth, with Da Silva rotating his line-up and indicating further changes for the upcoming friendly against Bulgarian side Sportist Svoge. By the end of this intensive camp, Iași will also test themselves against Kosovo’s Pristina and North Macedonia’s Bașkimi Kumanovo.
This win serves as both a morale boost and a practical experiment for a team targeting immediate promotion back to Romania’s top flight, while highlighting the unpredictable quality and ambition emerging from Asian club football.