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Zdrakov save preserves draw
Bulgaria finishes match with 10 men
Posted: Wednesday September 16, 1998 05:45 PM
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Bulgaria's Hristo Stoitchkov (left) battles with Julio Cesar Enciso Doug Pensinger/Allsport |
MONTPELLIER, France (CNN/SI)
- A chance at history was there, but Jose Luis Chilavert could not grab it.
As a result, Paraguay and
Bulgaria
finished their opening France '98 match in a scoreless draw.
Bulgarian Goalkeeper Zdravko Zdravkov fully stretched to his upper right to
deny his flamboyant Paraguayan counterpart on a second-half, 25-yard free
kick late in the second half, and the two nations emerged from the contest
with one point. "I already saw the ball in the net," said Chilavert,
who has 35 goals in his professional career. "Too bad, I could have made
history." No goalkeeper has ever scored in a World Cup match except
in a penalty shootout. The 32-year-old Chilavert has a reputation
for his offensive forays, in addition to a temper. Chilavert's
78th-minute chance was the highlight of a match that saw few good
opportunities -- and poor finishing by both sides on the ones that were
created. Bulgaria had its chance in the 35th minute when Hristo
Stoichkov beat two defenders and knocked the ball off the right post with a
left-footed shot which had Chilavert totally beaten. The Bulgarians
played the final two minutes with only 10 men after Anatoli Nankov earned
his second yellow. Paraguay had two chances following the sending off, but
failed to convert. Paraguay dominated the second half, getting
several chances before Chilavert's free kick. "We lacked poise to
finish the plays," Paraguay coach Paul Cesar Carpeggiani said. "We always
missed the last pass." Stoichkov set up the best Bulgarian
opportunity in the second half when he charged into the box from the left,
crossed the ball to an unmarked Luboslav Penev, who blasted high from six
yards with only Chilavert to beat. "We had some tactical errors on
both sides of the defense," Carpeggiani said. "But we made some adjustments
and improved in the second half. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to win. We
lacked the finishing touch." The match was a game of missed
opportunities. In the fifth minute, Stoichkov was upended in the
Paraguayan box but his pleas to Saudi referee Abdul Rahman Al-Zeid went
unheeded. "It was a 100 percent penalty," Bulgariancoach Hristo
Bonev said. "We played well in the first half, but our game collapsed in
the second." Stoichkov was yellow-carded in injury time for a
reckless tackle. "Paraguay was supposed to be an easy team to beat,
but this is not so and I feel very proud of what we've done," Chilavert
said. Lineups Paraguay:Jose Luis Chilavert; Carlos
Gamarra, Celso Ayala, Pedro Sarabia, Carlos Paredes; Miguel Benitez, Julio
Cesar Enciso, Carlos Morales (Denis Caniza, 45th minute), Roberto Acuna;
Jose Cardozo (Cesar Ramirez 70), Jorge Campos (Juan Yegros, 77th).
Bulgaria:Zdravko Zdravkov; Radostin Kischishev, Trifon Ivanov, Ivaylo
Petkov, Zlatko Yankov; Krassimir Balakov, Ilian Iliev Daniel Borimirov,
80th), Anatoli Nankov, Ivaylo Iordanov; Hristo Stoichkov, Luboslav Penev
(Emil Kostadinov, 69th). Referee:Abdul Rahman Al-Zeid, Saudi
Arabia.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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