Bulgaria Qualifies for 1994 FIFA World Cup Semi-finals
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The Bulgarian national football team recorded the greatest achievement of Bulgarian football, qualifying for the semi-finals of the Fifa World Cup in the US on July 10, 1994, after defeating Germany 2-1 in the quarter-finals.
The 15th FIFA World Cup in 1994 took place from June 17 to July 17. Bulgaria qualified for the sixth time for World Cup finals after eliminating France in a qualifying match on November 17, 1993 at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. After Emil Kostadinov’s goal in the last minute, football commentator Nikolay Kolev ‘The Michman’ exclaimed “God is Bulgarian” on the air of the Bulgarian National Television – a phrase that 29 years later continues to carry the spirit of the Bulgarian national football team’s successes associated with the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
The 4-0 victory over Greece in the group stage of the 1994 World Cup was the first scored by a Bulgarian national football team at a world finals. At the group stage, Bulgaria ranked second on equal points with the first – Nigeria (but with a worse goal difference and with a loss in the match between them), and with the third – Argentina (with an equal goal difference but with a win over the South American team). Bulgaria eliminated Mexico 4-2 in the eighth round after a penalty shootout.
On July 10, Bulgaria was to face the world champion Germany.
President Zhelyu Zhelev’s message to the players before the decisive match was published in BTA’s Sports Information bulletin on the day.
“The desire for victory is so cherished and justified that we do not always want to say it out loud. The last three matches give every reason for such expectations and hopes. Still, a competition is a competition, and one of the teams has to lose. So don’t worry. However the match ends, we will be with you unfailingly, because we have no doubt that you will play bravely, selflessly, nobly and for victory. And if victory is on our side once again, the jubilation in towns and villages will turn into a never-ending national celebration,” his message said.
After the end of the match, BTA’s specialised Sport bulletin wrote:
Bulgaria’s footballers made their greatest match of the World Cup by eliminating world champion Germany by 2-1 at the lucky New York Giants Stadium. It was also the biggest surprise of the championship. Hardly any football pundits would have guessed that the Bulgarian team, without a single win in its five previous appearances, on its sixth appearance at the world finals would reach the semi-finals.
BTA also quoted the French news agency AFP: “Who will stop Bulgaria? In any case it was not Germany. The Bulgarians, who qualified at the last moment in the match against France, made a real feat by eliminating the world champion Germany.”
In the semi-final against Italy, Bulgaria lost the match with a score of 1-2. In the 3rd place match against Sweden, Bulgaria lost 0-4 and remained in 4th place in the final standings.
Hristo Stoichkov became the tournament’s top scorer alongside Russian Oleg Salenko. Krasimir Balakov and Stoichkov were included in the championship’s ideal team along with Brazilians Romario and Carlos Dunga and Italians Roberto Baggio and Paolo Maldini.
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