The date is November 17, 1993. It is the last minute of the match between Bulgaria and France at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris, which should determine the team participating in the World Cup in the USA next year. The score is 1:1 (where France would have qualified), everyone is waiting for the final whistle, when Bulgaria's Emil Kostadinov scores a fantastic goal in the net of Bernard Lama, qualifying Bulgaria for the sixth time in the world finals, and on the air of the Bulgarian National Television, viewers could hear the memorable line of sports commentator Nikolay Kolev aka Michmana - "God is Bulgarian!". An exclamation that has remained in the history of sports and has been included in the dictionary of world football, written by the British journalist Tom Williams in 2018.
Thus began the magical football fairy tale of a nation, and its culmination was in the summer of 1994 in the stadiums of the USA, when the success of the Bulgarian national team surpassed even the wildest dreams of every Bulgarian. Already in the group stage, the 4-0 victory over Greece was the first such victory ever scored by the Bulgarian team at a world championship. A 2-0 victory over Argentina followed. The Bulgarians eliminated Mexico 4:2 after penalty kicks (1:1 in regular time and overtime) in the eighth round. Next came the memorable quarter-final, in which Dimitar Penev's squad faced the world champion Germany. After 0:0 in the first half the Germans took the lead with a goal by Lothar Matthäus from a penalty, but in just 3 minutes, in the 75th and 78th, our players turned the score to 2:1 with goals by Hristo Stoichkov and Yordan Lechkov. The winning momentum was halted by Italy in the semi-final 2-1, followed by a 4-0 loss to Sweden in the third place match. But the Nation rejoiced!
Read also:
Photos: mainatown.bg, futbol94.com, archive
Ivan Kukushin is the new European champion in rapid chess for boys under 12. At the European Youth Rapid & Blitz Championship for children aged 8 to 18 years, held in Thessaloniki, Greece, the young competitor achieved magnificent..
The football clubs Ludogorets and Ferencvaros ended in a nil-nil draw in their first match in Bulgaria's Razgrad of the third qualifying round of the Champions League. The Hungarians started the match better and had the upper hand in the first..
The Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen, which was opened by former US President Donald Trump in July, is set to host a golf championship organised by two Bulgarians — cryptocurrency platform Nexo’s co-founders, Antoni Trenchev and Kosta Kunchev..
The Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeen, which was opened by former US President Donald Trump in July, is set to host a golf championship organised..
Bulgaria may host the start of the 2026 Giro d’Italia, Tourism Minister Miroslav Borshosh said on Wednesday. Speaking at a joint press conference..
Ivan Kukushin is the new European champion in rapid chess for boys under 12. At the European Youth Rapid & Blitz Championship for..
+359 2 9336 661