Penev's men live American dream
Monday 1 March 2004
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By Stoyan Georgiev
Bulgarian football has had its moments. Olympic silver medallists in 1968, Bulgaria have also appeared in seven FIFA World Cup finals and two UEFA European Championships. However, the pinnacle of the national team's achievements came in the United States in 1994.
Kostadinov clincher
The catalyst for these events was a 2-1 victory against France in Paris on 17 November 1993. Emil Kostadinov scored in the last minute of the teams' final qualifying match to send Bulgaria through to the World Cup finals at the hosts' expense.
Costly defeat
Ironically, Bulgaria's success had its roots in a defeat - a 1-0 home loss to Scotland in November 1987 that denied them a place in the European Championship finals. That reverse ended the international careers of several top players, including Georgi Dimitrov, Radoslav Zdravkov, Stoicho Mladenov and Plamen Nikolov.
New generation
It was also the cue for a generation of talented youngsters to establish themselves: Hristo Stoitchkov, Emil Kostadinov, Krassimir Balakov, Borislav Mihailov, Nasko Sirakov and Trifon Ivanov among them.
Transitional period
A transitional period followed in which the team narrowly missed out on a place at EURO '92. More disappointment looked likely as Bulgaria dropped points against Israel, Austria and Sweden in the qualifying campaign for USA 94.
Late drama
However, Kostadinov's strike changed all that, with one local television commentator feeling compelled to shout, "God is a Bulgarian", as the late drama unfolded. Moments earlier he had been lamenting "the loss of another generation of talent".
World Cup aim
And yet, for all the excitement surrounding their qualification, Bulgaria arrived in the US with just one aim - to claim a first World Cup victory on their sixth finals appearance. A 3-0 defeat by Nigeria in the opening group match did not augur well. But Dimitar Penev's team recovered the situation with wins against Greece, 4-0, and Argentina, 2-0, to progress to the second round.
Penalties victory
Bulgaria's opponents here were Mexico, who had eliminated them at the same stage in 1986. This time the game ended in a 1-1 draw, before goalkeeper Mihailov made himself a hero with three match-winning saves in the ensuing penalty shootout.
Lechkov winner
Waiting for Bulgaria in the quarter-finals were Germany, the three-times world champions. Lothar Matthäus gave the favourites the lead from the penalty spot after half-time. But two goals in three minutes turned the game the way of the underdogs. First Stoitchkov equalised with a free-kick. Then Yordan Lechkov's flying header sent Bulgaria into the semis.
Uniting a nation
It was not only Bulgaria's greatest triumph; the win also united the nation for the first time in decades. Thousands of people went on to the streets to celebrate. The country finally felt like it was emerging from the isolation of the communist years.
Reduced expectations
Typically, coach Penev preferred to play things down ahead of the semi-final against Italy. "This win," he said, "is a good preparation for the forthcoming European Championship qualifiers."
Fourth place
After Roberto Baggio's double strike had ended Bulgarian hopes in the last four, in a match also notable for Stoitchkov's sixth goal of the tournament, Penev's men lost the third/fourth play-off against Sweden to finish fourth overall.
Germany vanquished again
This was not the last the football world heard of Stoitchkov and company, though. Bulgaria beat Germany again in qualifying for EURO '96™ - their first European Championship finals. The same generation then made it to the 1998 FIFA World Cup, before bowing out in a 6-1 defeat by Spain. It was not a perfect send-off, but fittingly it was Emil Kostadinov who scored the Bulgarian goal that brought down the final curtain.
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