In fact, this match was a continuation of the one that took place ten days ago - in Malmö and ended in failure for the Bulgarians - 0:1. And so the question rightly arose - which team will be the first to score a goal in the opponent's goal? Naturally, for the Swedes, increasing the gap would significantly strengthen their position. And CDNA? - In case of equalization our Republican champion would erase the Swedes' lead and also will have the opportunity to pursue the final victory.

And 21 minutes in this question no longer existed. On the information board the answer was clear and definite - 1: 0 for CDNA. After a mature and beautiful combination, the ball was sent by Panayotov to Tsanev and he immediately with a fast shot scored in Christenson’s goal. But this was not yet the final solution. “The army men”’s players had completed only one part from the task and had yet to exert mind and strength to change the actual draw in their favor - 1: 1.

Has everything developed so far? In the attack, the “The army men”’s footballers established their supremacy. The opponent was forced to retreat. There was a shot after a shot to Christenson's goal. But in the initial minutes the shooting of Rankov, Panayotov, Kolev was distracted, inaccurate, did not pose a serious threat. In addition, there was uncertainty in the back rows of the CDNA. After a mistake by Koshev, Olofson directed a dangerous blow. And a little later Naydenov failed to hold a ball, Nordqvist got to it and shot in the direction of the empty goal, fortunately outside it ... Wasn't this more than a warning signal for some weaknesses in the “The army men”’s eleven? And wasn't the opinion about the value of the Swedish team worth reconsidering, re-evaluating? And we have to say that if we could get past these fears and misconceptions until the equalizer, then the game itself brought them to the fore.

Here we recall such an obvious fact. Bulgarian footballers organize an offensive with a quick pass of the ball. Panayotov suddenly finds himself uncovered in front of the Swedish goal. And here, instead of an immediate shot, he unjustifiably allows himself freedom - he waits for the opponent, tries to lie to him and makes a failed golden opportunity for a goal. Goal - which in the end would be decisive. In the 38th minute Tsanev acted more correctly and resourcefully - he shot immediately, but now Christenson emphasizes his qualities as a first-class goalkeeper and put it into a corner.

And Malmö? - With their game until the half time, the Swedish players showed that they will use a compressed defense. And we must add - it brought them success, because it was supported by good understanding, the absence of any panic, the ability to take and hold the ball. The guests did not shine with anything exceptional and unusual, but their game was clear of everything unnecessary. They simply knew the opponent's weakness against an option like theirs and defended it with all their might. For the half-time the corners were 7: 0 in favor of CDNA, but for the tall and strong Swedes they did not pose a danger. In 52nd minute in a counterattack in the diluted half of the Bulgarians, the ball got to the excellent Olofson, he advanced - Kovachev slipped and cleared his way - followed by a low sharp shot and a goal. IFK Malmö got ahead again. Again, the CDNA had to fight for equalization.

The pressure followed instantly. In front of the Swedish goal there were sharp, very critical situations. Tsanev shook the side post, Yakimov's slalom was eliminated with a corner, Kovachev's shot flew a centimeter from the post. The corners reached an impressive figure (13: 2 for CDNA in this half). But the Swedish defense, where Blomberg's figure stood out, and goalkeeper Christenson found the strength to save in time. In addition, the Bulgarian footballers attacked recklessly, without any planned program, spontaneously and largely wrong. Manolov also started to attack, to further suppress the attack, to narrow his operational space, to expose his zone. And the attackers failed a number of their attempts in prolonged, short combinations, in solo actions, in high passes, in which, naturally, the tall Swedish defenders had the advantage. Panayotov, whom they relied on as a playmaker, got completely lost and faded into a retail game, to which Yakimov was already playing. Kolev's habits had become known to his guard Hanson, and the Swede had successfully resisted. Rankov isolated himself on the wing ... A little more nerve and sharpness remained to be shown in Tsanev, in the advanced Kovachev, who in the last minutes before the end sent the ball into the crossbar.

At such territorial supremacy, the CDNA has often had a bitter taste. He had to try it in this meeting as well. In the 80th minute, the Swedish footballers even had the opportunity to register a victory on the Sofia field, but Carlson slowed down and lost the chance. Thus, in infertility and blindness, CDNA achieved 1:1 at home and had to say goodbye to participating in the quarterfinals. IFK Malmö deserved this honor. They had 2 goals against one for CDNA.

source "Naroden sport“ newspaper

• [1] — the names of the opposition players, referee and players that are not in our profile database are automaticaly transliterated from cyrillic and may differ from the original spelling