A cool evening, but at the 'V. Levski' stadium it was too hot, even at times the 'temperature' reached boiling point. 'Anderlecht' - multiple champion of Belgium, eight of the players participate in the national team, a rejuvenated squad, sharp and fast play - this is what football friends in Bulgaria learned before the guests' match with our republican champion CSKA began. Of course, the fervent and patriotic desire of the many thousands of spectators to greet the army men with an excellent performance on the field and, above all, with a decisive victory, could not be hidden. Yes, the spectators have reason, especially after CSKA's brilliant debut against 'Partizan' (Belgr.). But aren't the hosts guests later! In such tournaments, like this one, it is very important what you have put in your bag for this peculiar away game. However much we dislike it, we are forced to depart for Brussels with an empty bag, without any 'capital' whatsoever.

It is customary, according to an old Slavic tradition, to be courteous to guests. The applause of the crowd, the flowers presented to the players by the Kremikovtsi workers, confirmed this trait of ours. However, our footballers should not have performed this way. We also know another side of their game, when they express their respect for the opponent with more visits of the ball to his goal. But this time something was missing. The Belgians started the game. They adopted a relatively slow tempo and from time to time attempted sharp incursions towards the Bulgarian goal. Individual elements from the opening minutes foreshadowed not only a lively and dynamic game, but also an emotional one. Rankov (7) stands behind the ball and takes the first corner kick. The opposing forces gather in front of Fazekas' goal. Confusion. The spectators hold their breath, but... with an unpleasant sigh they see the ball fly out from the clustered players and, like a seagull, fly towards our goal. Although G. Naydenov has more than once experienced this oppressive feeling of defending his goal alone against an opposing attacker, this time too his true instinct and excellent positioning helped him make the attack fruitless. The arrow of tension and speed in the game gradually rose. The fast and technical Belgians increasingly asserted their intelligent ball control, accurate passes, athletic preparation, and knack for sudden, quick, and sharp counterattacks. Naturally, there were moments when the Belgian 'rattle' fell silent on the benches. And the siren that the guest-spectators brought to the stadium was forgotten when Kovachev aimed from a free-kick towards the net, when Tsanev, with a breakthrough from the left, shot sharply into the right corner. But even after both instances, the scoreboard showed two elongated zeros. And they remained until the end of the first half.

The start of the second half brought the entire stadium to its feet. Rankov, seeing that he would not be able to overcome the Belgian defenders alone, cleverly passed a clean and calm ball to the left. Little effort was needed by Kolev to bring joy to his teammates and the goal-hungry crowd — 1:0 for CSKA. Sweet was the joy, but short-lived! Just five minutes later, we witnessed a creative idea from Hanon (4). A penalty kick in front of the Bulgarian goal. Behind the ball is Hanon, and in front of it — a wall of our players. It's not that scary! Hanon ran up from a distance, but the expected lightning strike did not follow; instead, he very gently picked up the ball, simply scooped it with the tip of his boot, and it calmly curved behind the wall. Tsanev attempted a bicycle kick to clear it, but alas! He didn't even touch it. What an unfortunate bicycle kick! The resourceful Jurion ended the general joy, and the Belgian siren welcomed the equalization of the score — 1:1, the game truly became lively, dynamic, and filled with quite sharp and complex clashes. Both sides had real opportunities for a higher score. Panayotov excellently stopped a high ball, and when the second goal was expected, he sent the ball high over the crossbar from the penalty spot. But Jurion did not act like him. No sooner had he reached the penalty area than his precise shot made the ball nestle into the right inner corner of the net for 'Anderlecht'.

It's good that the army men did not despair, and in the 85th minute, Yakimov successfully partnered with Tsanev and ensured that the match ended 2:2.

What can we say about the guests? They played remarkably well, conserved their strength and used it wisely, accurate in their shots, fast and agile. The players sought each other out well and found each other successfully. They play well with their heads. In a word — a very serious opponent, experienced and with an understanding of modern football.

Our republican champion is known to us for much better performances on the football fields. In this match, he came out with an unstable defense. He got carried away by the guests' initial slow tempo, which was to his detriment. It's strange why he resorted to high balls when the opponent showed clear superiority in that regard. While for 'Anderlecht' we are forced to emphasize the good play across all lines, we cannot say the same for our top footballers. It is worth highlighting not only the effort but also the good play of Kolev and Yakimov.

Referee Lo Bello and his assistants successfully managed the match.

The chances for CSKA to continue its path to the semi-finals are not lost. But it must not be forgotten that this path now passes through Brussels. Let us believe that our army men, even this time as guests, will repeat the Belgrade epic!

source newspaper 'Naroden Sport', no. 2234, 25.10.1962

Highlights

Memorabilia

• [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