World football 2014 in the 2nd match of the qualifying round of the championship, the national team of Armenia lost to the national team of Bulgaria with a minimum score of 0:1 in Sofia.
After the draw with the Italians in the opening game, the Bulgarians were in a fighting mood, but not so much to play football as to kick the feet of the Armenian football players.
This was the only trump card thanks to which the Bulgarians intended to win. But about everything one by one.
Tempers were running high before the game
On September 11, information was spread that Bulgarian fans attacked football fans from Armenia in Sofia. And although, fortunately, there were no serious clashes, and the sides were satisfied with a seemingly normal scuffle, it was clear that the hosts, contrary to the rules of hospitality, are trying to create artificial tension and deprive our team of the opportunity to concentrate on the game. There were fears that the little scandal might have been dictated by the federation or the national team management for tactical reasons. And the events that happened during the game just confirmed that fear. yes, the Bulgarians wanted to win everything, even at the cost of sacrificing their own dignity and the rules of “Fair Play”. Everything is sacrificed for the sake of 3 points, because instilling a winning mentality in a young team is part of the vision for the future of Bulgarian football. But the Bulgarians have yet to arrive in Yerevan…
As long as the fatigue does not set in
The home team organized a strong attack in the first minutes of the match, showing that they intend to take the initiative and impose their will on the opponent. It felt like they were looking to score a quick goal to avoid further complications and to ease the burden of responsibility for a sure win. If the Bulgarians could not beat the Armenians on their own field after playing to a draw with the Italians, no one would understand and forgive it. But the hosts also spent a lot of energy in the opening game and were afraid that they would lose their physicality in the second game. This also explained the desire for a quick goal, which, however, did not materialize. Although the Bulgarians constantly tried to organize attacks, this time the Armenian national team, operating with 2 base midfielders, reliably defended and gradually and steadily deprived the opponent of the game initiative. Suffice it to say that the first more or less dangerous shot at our team’s goal was made in the 29th minute.
Sensing that they were ceding the initiative, the Bulgarians relied on rough play. It is difficult to say how many shots Henrikh Mkhitaryan and his teammates received. In that way, the home team only tried to stop the fast attacks of our football players, and the referee did not put his hand in his pocket for a long time, because of which later, in the 2nd half, he had to often resort to the help of cards…
In the 43rd minute, Henrikh Mkhitaryan shot at a sharp angle, the ball, touching Ivanov’s hand, deflected the direction and flew past the vertical goal post. Instead of awarding a penalty kick, the referee indicated that nothing had happened and the game could continue. The hosts ended the very next attack with a goal. Stanislav Manolev responded in time to Popov’s pass from the left wing to the penalty area – 1:0.
Bulgarian heroic fight on the football field
It’s no secret that in the 2nd half, the Armenian national team should have tried to recover what they lost. Already tired, the owners of the field decided to give a real battle, not literally, but literally. The organizer of our team’s attacks, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, appeared on the grass immediately after receiving the ball. The Bulgarians did everything to provoke our players, but they could not achieve their goal for a long time. Marcos Pizzelli, who came on as a substitute soon, brought intensity to our team’s offensive actions. And right after his transfer in the 66th minute, Yura Movsisyan appeared in the firing line, but his shot went wide. Yes, no goal was scored, but it was a goal call. And the home team again relied on provocation tactics. In the 72nd minute, Henrikh Mkhitaryan got rid of the defender with a nice trick in the penalty area and jumped forward, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball.
The players of the Bulgarian national team immediately attacked Henrikh Mkhitaryan. This time the provocation worked. Marcos Pizzelli actively defended his teammate. The other players also joined the stampede, and the referee removed one of each team’s players, Dyakov and Markos Pizzelli, from the field. Sargis Hovsepyan received a yellow card. Just 3-4 minutes after that, Gevorg Ghazaryan also received a red card for incomprehensible behavior, burying all hopes of saving the game. The teams then simply rolled time to end the match. Immediately after the match, the players of the Armenian national team went to the dressing room, not considering it necessary to shake the hands of the Bulgarians and the referees.
Conclusion
It is felt that the opponents have studied the game of the Armenian national team well and will not stop at any means to deprive our team of its winning cards. You have to learn to gain psychological stability, adapt to the rough game and achieve success through new qualities, otherwise all hopes of advancing to the next round will be doomed to failure.
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