Tsonev: Bulgaria have saved best for last
Thursday, July 24, 2014
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With Bulgaria having had plenty of chances but drawn a blank in their two matches so far, Radoslav Tsonev tells UEFA.com: "Maybe we've kept our goals for the last game?"
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Radoslav Tsonev is hopeful Bulgaria can bow out of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship on a high note when they meet Serbia in their final Group B fixture. Defeats by Germany and Ukraine have ended hopes of a semi-final berth, yet there is still the considerable carrot of a 2015 FIFA U-20 World Cup place on offer. The 19-year-old PFC Levski Sofia midfielder tells UEFA.com his side will do everything in their power to make that happen.
UEFA.com: How is the general atmosphere in the team before the last match?
Radoslav Tsonev: The only thing we're thinking about is winning this match against Serbia. That is our only objective. Everybody's fit. We have only Petar Vitanov who is unable to play as he's suspended.
UEFA.com: Bulgaria have had chances in each game but are yet to score. What's going on?
Tsonev: Maybe we've saved our goals for the last game? [smiles] I certainly hope so. We are trying our best, but at the moment it is not working out for us. I hope things will change against Serbia.
UEFA.com: You still have a chance to qualify for the U-20 World Cup, but you have to win...
Tsonev: Bearing in mind we've lost two games, we're lucky that we are still in contention for a trip to New Zealand. We have to play to win – that's our only option.
UEFA.com: How well do you know Serbia?
Tsonev: We had a chance to see them for a few minutes in their games against Germany and Ukraine. That will be enough for us. From what I saw they are really good on the counterattack. They tend to have difficulties when they have ball possession and when they are trying to build the attack slowly.
UEFA.com: What would you say about Bulgaria?
Tsonev: We play the ball very fast, we move very fast and we try to finish the attacks as quickly as possible. Sometimes it works, sometimes not, as we've seen in our previous two games.
UEFA.com: As the countries are neighbours, will this match be like a derby?
Tsonev: The opponents don't matter in this case. We simply have to win to go to the World Cup. It would have been the same for us against any other country.
UEFA.com: A draw would be like a defeat for both teams, so can we expect an exciting match?
Tsonev: Yes, I'm pretty sure that it is going to be a good game to watch with two strong teams going at it. I hope that in the end we will be celebrating.