Bulgaria beaten by Wales
23.8.07, 01:14
Bulgaria - Wales 0:1
Bulgaria lost its friendly game against Wales on Wednesday, 0-1, thanks to Freddy Eastwood's solitary strike in the first half. English-born Eastwood, who is eligible to play for Wales because his maternal grandmother was born there, looked the most dangerous player in John Toshack's youthful squad. Wales seemed content to sit back and soak the pressure from the hosts, but looked dangerous on the counterattack.
Eastwood tested Bulgarian goalkeeper Dimitar Ivankov on several occasions, finally beating him with a 20-yard strike just as Greek referee Mechalis Germanakos was preparing to blow his whistle to signal the end of the first half.
Bulgarian manager Dimitar Penev, back in the dugout ten years after his first spell in charge came to an end, changed three of his starters at half time and it almost paid off instantly.
Velizar Dimitrov's shot was cleared into corner after a deflection, but CSKA's attacking midfielder remained the source of Bulgaria's most dangerous attacks as the hosts sought an equalizer.
Wales captain Danny Gabbidon almost scored an own goal in the 76th minute trying to clear a cross from Ivelin Popov, but the ball hit the post and trickled across the goalmouth, with no-one on hand to tap it in.
Dimitrov and Manchester City winger Martin Petrov came close to scoring in the final minutes of the match, but Wales' resolute defense battled to get the win despite the hosts' domination.
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Bulgaria takes on Wales in friendly
22.8.07, 11:06
Bulgaria's best-known football coach, Dimitar Penev, will begin his second stint in charge of the national team on Wednesday in the friendly against Wales, played in the Black Sea port of Burgas. The man who took the country to fourth place at the '94 World Cup in US returns to the managerial dugout with Bulgaria's qualification for EURO 2008 in the balance.
Penev has made clear he will use the game as a dress rehearsal for next month's decisive trip to Holland and will put forward his strongest line-up.
Kayserispor's Dimitar Ivankov will take his customary place in goal, behind a back four made of Levski's Igor Tomasic and CSKA's Alexandar Tunchev in the centre of defense, while Leicester City's Radostin Kishishev and Levski's Lucio Wagner will start on the flanks.
Penev announced his starting eleven at a news conference on Wednesday and made clear he opted for a 4-3-3 formation, a move prompted by the injury of team captain and star striker Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham.
Two other strikers plying their trade in England - Charlton's Svetoslav Todorov and Manchester City's Valery Bojinov - are also out injured.
Aston Villa's Stiliyan Petrov, Energie Kottbus' Stanislav Anguelov and Dimitar Telkiyski from Levski will line up in midfield, while Manchester City's Martin Petrov and Levski's Hristo Yovov will play on the wings.
Georgi Chilikov from CSKA will play as the lone striker on his return to the team after a five-year absence.
The game in Burgas starts at 8 pm local time.
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Vladimir Manchev joins Celta de Vigo
Spanish Segunda Division club Celta de Vigo confirmed on its website that Bulgarian striker Vladimir Manchev joined the club on a one-year deal starting Tuesday. Manchev turned down offers from clubs in the Spanish and French top flights to link up with Celta manager Hristo Stoitchkov. "Manchev is well-known player in Spain, he has played in Levante and Vlladolid, and he will strengthen our squad," Stoitchkov told the club's website.
The two have worked together when Stoitchkov was in charge of the Bulgarian national team, but that does not guarantee Manchev a starting spot by itself, the Bulgarian manager added.
"In the last two years, I've won promotion [to the top flight] twice, with Levante and Valladolid, and I would like to make it three in a row with Celta," said Manchev.
"I came here with a clear goal, and that is promotion. The team has too much quality to play in the second division," he added.
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Bojinov setback rocks Bulgaria
20.8.07, 11:59
Bulgaria's UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying hopes have been hit by the news that Manchester City FC striker Valeri Bojinov will miss all of their remaining Group G matches after suffering a serious knee injury. In addition to this week's friendly match against Wales, the striker will be unavailable for Bulgaria's forthcoming fixtures against the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Albania, Romania and Slovenia.
Disastrous start
The 21-year-old learned that he will be out for up to five months after a scan revealed damage to lateral and anterior cruciate ligaments in his left knee. Bojinov, who signed from ACF Fiorentina in early August, was only six minutes into his first City start on Sunday when he fell awkwardly following an aerial challenge with Manchester United FC's Patrice Evra.
Berbatov doubt
Dimitar Penev's side are second in the group, two points behind Romania and one ahead of the Netherlands, who have a game in hand. They are also sweating on the fitness of captain Dimitar Berbatov, whose groin injury has made him doubtful for next month's double-header against the Netherlands and Luxembourg.
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Bulgarian clubs closer to progressing
17.8.07, 14:07
Bulgaria's three teams in the UEFA Cup edged closer to progressing in the competition after getting good results in their respective second qualifying round matches on Thursday. Last year's league runners-up CSKA Sofia drew 1-1 in Cyprus against Omonia Nicosia. The Bulgarian club took the lead in the 20th second through a magnificent 40-yard strike from new boy Nei.
Omonia equalised in the 14th minute, but its efforts to find a winner yielded no results, despite the home team's domination throughout the game.
CSKA finished the game with ten men after defender Valentin Iliev was sent off in 66th minute for a second bookable offence.
Lokomotiv Sofia, who finished third last season, tied on points with CSKA, were the only team in the trio playing at home, against Romanian club Otelul Galati.
In an even game, the "railway men" showed more composure in front of goal than their opponents, winning 3-1.
Bulgarian Cup finalists Litex Lovech had the easiest draw, playing against Albanian side Besa in Durres.
Litex settled the tie in the first 30 minutes of the match, scoring three unanswered goals and took it easy afterwards, comfortably winning 3-0.
The return fixtures will be played on August 30.
Bulgarian league and cup double winners Levski Sofia have already ended their European campaign for the season, having lost their two-legged tie against Finland's Tampere United in the second qualifying round of the Champions League
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Bojinov to replace Berbatov against Wales
by News.bg
Bulgarian national coach Dimitar Penev made change in the squad of the friendly match with Wales on August 22 in Burgas. The new addition of Manchester City Valeri Bojinov will replace the injured captain of the national team Dimiter Berbatov. This way Bojinov won't attend the match in Athens, Greece with the young players on August 21.
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Mihaylov permit stalls deal
The race is firmly on to sign a Goalkeeper before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.Liverpool reserve keeper Nikolay Mihaylov has been targeted as Roberto Martinez no 1 target to replace Willy Gueret. The two clubs have been in negotiation over the 6 ft 4 Bulgarian . Work permit problems may yet scupper the deal for the Mihaylov's services. Swansea City are in a race to secure a work permit for the Bulgarian U-21 international.
The Former Levski Sofia shot stopper was part of the clubs Champions League side and his father Borislav Mihaylov is Bulgaria's most capped player and president of the Bulgarian Football Union.
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Berbatov injury not serious
Tottenham Hotspur striker Dimitar Berbatov's groin injury is not serious although he will miss Saturday's Premiership game at home to Derby County, the Bulgaria captain's agent said on Thursday. "He felt some pain in his adductor muscle in the last minute of the Everton match on Tuesday," Emil Danchev told Bulgarian Darik radio. "The scan revealed that he sustained a niggling strain and he flew to Munich for consultations."
Berbatov, who was a revelation last season with 23 goals after joining Spurs from Bayer Leverkusen, suffered a similar injury at the start of last term and missed several Tottenham matches and Bulgaria's UEFA EURO 2008 qualifier against Slovenia.
Club doctors have yet to set a date for his return but Berbatov seems likely to miss Bulgaria's friendly against Wales in the Black Sea port of Bourgas next Wednesday.
"I can't say when exactly he will be ready to play," Danchev said. "He'll definitely miss the Derby County match but I hope he'll recover in time to play for the national team."
Spurs manager Martin Jol told the north London club's official website: "It's an old problem and he will now visit a specialist in Germany. He will be out for a couple of weeks."
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Bulgaria's living legend
Will history repeat itself? That is the question Bulgarian football supporters have been asking since Dimitar Penev returned to the helm of the national team last week. During his first spell in charge Penev guided Bulgaria to the semi-finals of the 1994 FIFA World Cup, an achievement no coach before or since has come close to matching. He is also the only coach to have guided Bulgaria through two consecutive successful qualifying campaigns – following up USA '94 by taking Bulgaria to EURO '96. That he was sacked after failing to get out of the group stage in England still remains a mystery to Bulgarian supporters. Eleven years on he is back and a nation expects.
'Responsibility'
"Everybody wants Bulgaria to reach EURO 2008," he said. "Everybody wants our football to improve at club and international level. The responsibility to deliver is enormous. The most important thing is to convince the players we have the quality and the strength to go all the way to Switzerland and Austria. If we play at our best, if the players and the coaching staff give everything, we can hope for a place in the finals. We have good players and they showed that in the last two qualifiers against Belarus, when Stanimir Stoilov acted as interim coach."
Past achievements
Penev takes over from Stoilov who has returned to PFC Levski Sofia after briefly holding the reigns following Hristo Stoichkov's resignation in April. Despite all the changes, Bulgaria are second in Group G, two points behind leaders Romania and one point ahead of the Netherlands, who have a game in hand. Qualifying for UEFA EURO 2008™ will be difficult but is not beyond the realms of possibility for Penev, who is a living history of Bulgarian football. As a defender then coach he won dozens of trophies and is a genuine symbol of success. His name is synonymous with PFC CSKA Sofia.
European pedigree
Penev, one of Bulgaria's greatest players, starred in the epic semi-final against FC Internazionale Milano in 1967 which went to a third play-off game before Inter eventually prevailed 1-0. In 1982 he was assistant coach of the CSKA side that knocked European champions Liverpool FC out of the European Champion Clubs' Cup, only to lose to FC Bayern M?nchen in the last four. In 1989 Penev was coach of the CSKA side that reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup Winner's Cup, the last time a Bulgarian team has got so far in European competition. It was five years after that that he took Bulgaria to the semi-finals of the World Cup, providing his country with a summer like no other.
Risk taker
Penev has always been considered as a bird of good omen for Bulgarian football, and fortune has favoured him throughout his career. He has worked for that luck and he has always been willing to take risks. Penev's greatest strength is working with youngsters. He is happy to put his trust in youth and invariably gets the best out of them. He has a great eye for talent. In the late Eighties at CSKA he took a chance on the young and unknown Stoichkov, Emil Kostadinov and his nephew Luboslav Penev. They would develop into some of Bulgaria's greatest players.
Young stars
Back at CSKA in the late Nineties he did not hesitate to throw teenagers Dimitar Berbatov, Stilian Petrov and Martin Petrov into the action. They will now form the spine of his national team. Penev has not coached at a top level since leaving CSKA in 2000, although he has held a number of advisory roles. Few count that against him. As national coach Penev will not need to be involved in day-to-day training – he can leave that to the clubs. His strength lies instead in his tactical knowledge and vast experience. He is also, of course, an inspirational figure. He commands respect and the players look up to him.
Good humour
Equally important Penev is well liked and brings good humour back to the role, a marked contrast to the strained final days of the Stoichkov regime. The 62-year-old is famous for his verbal gaffs – such as "Argentina are the European champions of South America". Crucially, though, he is able to put his players at their ease and foster a relaxed atmosphere, an important ingredient to success as crucial qualifiers against the Netherlands and Romania loom large.
Romania challenge
It is the visit of Romania to Sofia on 17 November that Bulgarians are relishing most. It was on that day 14 years ago that Kostadinov's last-minute winner at the Parc des Princes sent Penev's Bulgaria to the 1994 World Cup in place of France. Now, exactly 16 years after his debut as national team coach in a friendly against Turkey in 1991, Penev will be back in the hot seat for a friendly against Wales in Burgas on Wednesday. Will it be the start of a bright new dawn? Bulgarians believe so.
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Penev named Bulgaria's squad against Wales
15.8.07, 14:01
Bulgaria coach Dimitar Penev named his 18-man squad Wednesday for the friendly match against Wales on Aug. 22 in Burgas. Manchester City striker Valeri Bojinov was left out of the squad, while CSKA Sofia midfielder Velizar Dimitrov returned to the team. Litex Lovech winger Ivelin Popov was selected for the first time.
Squad:
Goalkeepers:Dimitar Ivankov (Kayzerispor), Georgi Petkov (Levski Sofia).
Defenders:Valentin Iliev (CSKA Sofia), Stanislav Angelov (Energie Cottbus), Alexander Tunchev (CSKA Sofia), Radostin Kishishev (Leicester), Lucio Wagner (Levski Sofia), Igor Tomasic (Levski Sofia), Petar Zanev (Celta Vigo).
Midfielders:Stilian Petrov (Aston Villa), Velizar Dimitrov (CSKA Sofia), Chavdar Yankov (Hanover), Hristo Yovov (Levski Sofia), Dimitar Telkiyski (Levski Sofia).
Forwards:Ivelin Popov (Litex Lovech), Martin Petrov (Manchester City), Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham), Tsvetan Genkov (Dynamo Moscow).
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CSKA hope to match Levski fire power
10.8.07, 19:10
by Stoyan Georgiev, uefa.com
Only once since 1999 has the Bulgarian title eluded either PFC Levski Sofia or PFC CSKA Sofia and the capital rivals are tipped to lead the way again this season. Levski took the crown for the second successive campaign in 2006/07, finishing five points above CSKA. Both teams conceded 13 goals in 30 games, but Levski struck 96 compared with CSKA's 68 and they also lifted the Bulgarian Cup and the recent Bulgarian Super Cup.
Free-scoring Levski
The Blues may be even more determined following their surprise UEFA Champions League exit at the hands of Finland's Tampere United, a far cry from their group stage heroics last term. Despite that result, the champions were not resting on their laurels this summer: coach Stanimir Stoilov signed Macedonian international Darko Tasevski, and young Morocco defenders Chakib Benzoukane and Youssef Rabeh.
CSKA look to Portugal
CSKA have looked to the Portuguese Liga to boost their strike force. Brazilian forward Nei arrived from A. Naval 1° Maio along with Z? Rui and former Bulgarian international Georgi Chilikov (CD Nacional), Nigerian attacker Kevin Amuneke (Vit?ria FC) and Panama's Jos? Luis Garc?s (CF Os Belenenses). Midfielder Todor Yanchev has also returned to the club after a spell with Denmark's Randers FC, while Dutch defender Quido Lanzaat and Montenegrin Under-21 international Nikola Vujadinovi? have reinforced CSKA's back line.
Litex challenge
PFC Lokomotiv Sofia pushed the big two all the way last season but they have lost the league's leading scorer Tsvetan Genkov to FC Dinamo Moskva. It may be that PFC Litex Lovech – who finished fourth last term and lost the Bulgarian Cup final to Levski – are the dark horses this time around. Local hero Ferario Spasov has begun his third spell in charge after Ljubo Petrovi?'s departure, and has recruited three Frenchmen in defenders C?dric Uras and C?dric Cambon and midfielder Fabien Boudar?ne. With Litex's first three fixtures including the visits of CSKA and Levski, they have an immediate chance to state their credentials.
Coaching changes
Several other clubs start the campaign with new coaches. Macedonian trainer Stevica Kuzmanosvki has been appointed by PFC Slavia Sofia; Miroslav Mitev will lead PFC Belasitsa Petrich; young Portuguese tactician Rui Dias is at the PFC Vihren Sandanski helm; and Radoslav Zdravkov has replaced Eduard Eranosyan at PFC Beroe Stara Zagora.
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Sliema's Litex protest turned down
9.8.07, 19:23
UEFA has rejected a protest by Sliema Wanderers FC concerning the validity of the Maltese club's UEFA Cup first qualifying round second-leg tie against PFC Litex Lovech in Bulgaria. Sliema had filed a protest questioning the legitimacy of the game on 2 August after the Bulgarian club had failed to fill in the match sheet correctly. But this has been turned down by the UEFA Control and Disciplinary Body, whose decision validates the 4-0 Litex victory (and 7-0 aggregate win for the Lovech side).
The UEFA committee did, however, fine Litex ˆ3,000 for an "administrative shortfall" because they missed out the name of one player in the team sheet. Sliema can appeal against the decision within three days of receiving the written grounds for it.
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Tampere happy as 'sensation' sinks in
8.8.07, 19:26
"A sensation for Finland and European football" was how the Tampere United coach Ari Hjelm described his side's shock UEFA Champions League second qualifying round victory against PFC Levski Sofia. Jari Niemi scored the only goal at the Vasil Levski National Stadium in the 39th minute when he gave goalkeeper Georgi Petkov no chance with a crisp finish from close to the penalty spot, completing 1-0 home and away triumphs for the Finnish challengers.
'Big surprise'
"It's a very big surprise as we knew that we were the underdogs," said Hjelm. "It was very important that Levski didn't score in the first game; it helped us a lot. I'm happy because we got it right tactically in both games. We knew Levski's style very well and were well prepared for them and that played a major part in the success."
Character
Niemi also scored three times in the first qualifying round defeat of San Marino's S.S. Murata and will today be setting his sights on Rosenborg BK - the Norwegians lead Kazakhstan's FC Astana 3-1 going into their home second leg tonight - as the club dream of emulating HJK Helsinki's qualification for the group stage in 1998/99. Hjelm praised his players' character in Sofia, and knows two similarly steely displays will be needed in the penultimate round as the riches of the group stage beckon.
'Leading role'
"My players showed real character in an important match like this - in a tough situation experienced players often take a leading role and that was the case tonight. Mikko Kav?n made a few crucial saves and players like Jarkko Wiss, Antti Pohja and Jari Niemi all had great games. That's not to forget the others, the whole team played well and this is a historic moment for us. We've beaten a team which played in the Champions League group stage last season and we are absolutely delighted."
'Without options'
Levski eliminated the likes of Udinese Calcio, Olympique de Marseille and AJ Auxerre in reaching the UEFA Cup quarter-finals in 2005/06, before tackling the might of FC Barcelona, Chelsea FC and Werder Bremen in Group A last term - experiences which they have not built on. "The fairy tale is over and at the end of the day I'm the one who has to take responsibility for the failure," said coach Stanimir Stoilov. "It's easy to say what we should have done afterwards, but I really was without options. We lack a class centre-forward and that was obvious in the game. This is a sad moment for us, a lost season in Europe, and now we must focus on the domestic front."
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Tampere finish off Levski
7.8.07, 19:32
Levski (Sofia) - Tampere United 0:1
Tampere United of Finland will compete in the third and final qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League for the first time after completing 1-0 home and away victories against PFC Levski Sofia in the Bulgarian capital. Having reached the group stage last season, Levski were strongly fancied to eliminate a Tampere side whose two-legged success against San Marino's S.S. Murata in the previous round had been their first in the competition.
Niemi winner
Instead, Jari Niemi struck in the 40th minute at the Vasil Levski National Stadium to leave Levski needing three goals to advance, a feat they never looked like achieving. Tampere's reward is a tie against fellow Scandinavians Rosenborg BK, who defeated FC Astana.
Clinical finish
Levski started with Borislav Hristov in central defence following injuries to the captain Elin Topuzakov and Igor Toma?i?, and the home side had the better of a quiet opening half-hour. Opportunities were created soon after, Hristo Yovov forcing Mikko Kav?n into a save and Miroslav Ivanov fizzing a shot over, although when the goal came it went the way of Tampere. A quick free-kick found its way to Tomi Petrescu out on the right and the first-leg scorer whipped in a cross which Niemi collected near the penalty spot before beating goalkeeper Georgi Petkov with a clinical drive.
In-form Kaven
Home coach Stanimir Stoilov reacted immediately by replacing Hristov with the experienced, but not fully fit, Daniel Borimirov, and also brought on forward Ekundayo Jaiyeoba after half-time. The Nigerian almost made an immediate impact, forcing Kaven into a fine save before seeing a goal chalked out for offside. Kaven also denied Valeri Domovchiyski and Lucio Wagner, although Levski soon ran out of ideas as their European hopes ended for another year.
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Venue switch for Levski-Tampere
6.8.07, 19:36
The second leg of PFC Levski Sofia's UEFA Champions League second qualifying round tie against Tampere United on Tuesday has been moved to the Vasil Levski National Stadium from the Georgi Asparuhov Stadium across the Bulgarian capital. A waterlogged pitch at Levski's regular home has forced the change.
Waterlogged pitch
UEFA delegate Theodore Theodoridis said: "Because of the rain that has fallen in Sofia since last Saturday, which has included a couple of thunderstorms, the situation at the Georgi Asparuhov Stadium was not good. I would say that today the pitch was unplayable. But the option of playing at the Vasil Levski National Stadium was made available to us. This stadium was used for UEFA Champions League group stage matches and after observing the condition of the pitch there, myself and match official Thorsten Kinh?fer made the joint decision that the match could be played at this location. The kick-off time of 20.30 (19.30CET) will remain as planned." Finnish champions Tampere lead 1-0 from last week's first leg, with the winners to meet FC Astana or Rosenborg BK in the third qualifying round.
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Stoilov calls for Levski offensive
by Stoyan Georgiev, uefa.com
PFC Levski Sofia coach Stanimir Stoilov is promising to "attack from the first minute" as his injury-hit side aim to overturn a 1-0 first-leg deficit against Tampere United in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round. Having graced the group stage last season, the Bulgarian team were expected by many to waltz past the Finnish title-holders, yet Tomi Petrescu's early strike in Tampere has thrown the tie open.
'Tricky situation'
"It will be very hard for us," Stoilov said before Tuesday's second leg. "Tampere are solid at the back and they do not allow the opposition to create many chances. We must be patient and hold on to possession as much as possible, because we need two goals. Our situation is quite tricky."
Injury headache
It is a situation made worse by a spate of injuries. Defenders Igor Toma?i? and Elin Topuzakov are both out so Stoilov may have to use midfielder Richard Eromoigbe at centre-back alongside new arrival Chakib Benzoukane. Valeri Domovchiyski and Daniel Borimirov are expected to recover from their knocks, however, and the Levski coach has said that the latter's experience in particular could be key to the Sofia outfit progressing to a third qualifying round fixture against either Rosenborg BK or FC Astana.
'We should go through'
"If we are at our best then we should go through, but we must attack from the first minute," said Stoilov, who sounded unconcerned by the heavy rainfall in Sofia. The soggy conditions have already forced a change of venue from Levski's usual Georgi Asparuhov ground to the Vasil Levski National Stadium. "I do not know whether the rain will give Tampere an advantage. When pitch conditions are not at their best, it is a problem for both teams. For us the most important thing is to win, not the bad weather."
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Bozhinov adds to growing City ranks
3.8.07, 19:38 by uefa.com
Bulgarian international Valeri Bozhinov has completed his transfer for Manchester City FC from ACF Fiorentina for an undisclosed fee, subject to a work permit. The 21-year-old striker has agreed a contract running until 2011, and becomes the fourth player to join Sven-Goran Eriksson's side in the last 24 hours after Thursday's combined spending of ˆ24.75m to land Javier Garrido, Vedran Corluka and Elano Blumer.
'Great addition'
Bozhinov, who broke a Serie A record when he made his US Lecce debut aged 15, joined Fiorentina in January 2005 but spent last season on loan at Juventus, helping them to promotion. City's chief excutive Alistair Mackintosh said: "Valeri is an exciting young player and a great addition to the squad."
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