Match Report
First half:
It becomes clear very early on that both teams treat the game as seriously as were it a qualifier, because tackles come flying in and intensity is high. Bulgaria aim to stand up to the test; they put pressure on West Germany inside the visitors’ half. The forward three of Penev, Kostadinov and Stoichkov may not appear to be all that eager in pressurizing early on, but they will receive instructions from the sidelines, and as the half progresses, even they contribute in chasing and harrying the visitors, who are never given a moment’s peace to settle on the ball. But it is likewise for West Germany: They have no intention of letting Bulgaria enjoy possession without applying pressure, so most of the opening half is a stalemate. There is a lot of tough challenges, but to the players’ credit they only have in mind to let play continue. The referee even deserves credit for letting the game flow instead of using his whistle unnecessarily. This was indeed a much improved performance from Mr Krchňák from what he had given when in charge of Greece v Denmark a good few months earlier.
The home side play into the wind during the first half. They appear with a square defensive line, and they have a balancing central midfielder in Kirov, with Sadakov and Balakov doing the running. In particular Balakov seems eager to stamp his authority on proceedings, and he tries to feed either of his forward three, although West Germany are strong at the back. As you would have expected. They play with Buchwald as the sweeper, and with Kohler appearing at centre half, originally set out to keep Penev in check. However, as the half progresses, Penev drops deeper, and so frees himself from his marker. Indeed, it will instead be the West German defensive midfielder Fach who will try to pick up Penev. Stoichkov starts out on the right hand side, with Kostadinov to the left of the forward three. However, the two wider forwards will shift positions now and then. The home side’s midfield stands up well to the strong visiting players, so there is not a lot of space for neither Möller nor Matthäus in which to dictate. Völler seems the more eager of the two West Germany forwards to make runs off the ball, and he cuts an impressive first half figure, does the Roma striker.
Stoichkov comes the closest when he strikes a left-foot free kick via Illgner’s crossbar and over on 12 minutes. The ‘keeper would have been nowhere near it had the ball dipped under the bar. A quarter of an hour later Sadakov also hits the crossbar with an effort from distance, but the referee had spotted an infringement just as the ball had left the midfielder’s left foot. Stoichkov also has another attempt when Balakov makes it to the left-sided byline and pulls the ball back, but the Sredets man’s shot is low and not very hard, and goes straight into the arms of Illgner. Down the opposite end, a Fach header from a flicked corner is about as close as West Germany get, whilst Völler mishits a shot from inside the area after being played in by Riedle. These efforts are exceptions: The first half is predominantly a midfield affair. Angelov should be pleased by half time after the effort his players had showed.
Second half:
If the opening half was one with lots of aggression from both sides, then what happens in the latter 45 will be a fairly mundane story in comparison. Bulgaria chose to sit deeper than they had been doing, obviously hoping that their forward three can cause the visitors a lot of trouble on their own. This succeeds the wonder goal scored by big defender Iliev only a minute into the second half: Stoichkov plays him in with a ball at chest height, and he takes it down expertly and fires a left-footed shot low to the right of the despairing Illgner from the edge of the box. Iliev’s goal is a beauty, and it would have been a proud moment for any forward, let alone a defender. So immediately, Angelov puts the new tactics into effect. It is impossible to say whether their same deep lines would have applied had they not scored so early after the restart.
Beckenbauer has made a switch at half time, with the energetic Littbarski replacing Fach, who had had an ok half in the holding midfield role, but clearly the manager wanted to see a more attacking second half display. And then they go behind right after the commence of the second period. West Germany seem unfazed. They seize the initiative, helped by the fact that the home side chose to sit deeper, but also with some enterprising play both by sub Littbarski and also the lively Häßler down the other flank. Bulgaria are rarely able to break out from their own half, and if they do, it is with little conviction and usually through just one or two players on their own. The much talked-about Sredets forward line had at times looked dangerous with Balakov feeding them during the first 45 minutes, but in the second half they would be more left to their own devices. Balakov was unable to reproduce what he had showed, at least in glimpses, during the first half, and Sadakov, who had also showed some promise before the break, was more static in the final 45. Angelov tried to mix things up a bit in midfield bringing on Todorov for Kirov, but one switch alone could far from trouble the West Germans.
Only about 18 minutes into the second half, Bulgaria defender Dochev goes to the ground with cramp. How he will later manage to complete the match at right back is an interesting question, although he is hardly one of an attacking nature. He’s pulled out into the right back position because central defender Ivanov has been brought on for Kiryakov, the original right back who seemed interesting going forward, but whose defending had on a couple of occasions left a bit to be desired. Then again, Kiryakov had after the break been up against Littbarski, and the West German substitute clearly had intentions of showing his worth to the team. It is his assist that finds the head of Völler for 1-1: He gets enough time to prepare with his right foot a cross into the area, and the Roma forward is left surprisingly alone, with no Bulgarian defender keeping a watch on him. This incenses both Balakov and Stoichkov, who are adamant that Völler is offside, and so complain at length to the linesman. The ref has none of it. The goal stands. West Germany, despite not creating an awful lot of clear cut opportunities, have forced themselves back into the match, just like you would expect a side of their stature to do.
Bulgaria were not able to find back to the same aggression levels which they had been showing before the break, and the visitors would continue to be camped inside of the hosts’ half. There is a moment of aggression from West German captain and star player Matthäus, who commits quite a nasty foul on Kostadinov just inside the visitors’ half. The referee really should have booked the Inter ace. This will eventually be succeeded by possibly the best spell of pressure from the home side in the whole of the second half, with Stoichkov active, trying to play Kostadinov through on the right hand side. The latter races past Kohler, brings the ball into the penalty area, and then appears to be brought down by the big defender. However, again Mr Krchňák lets play continue. The claims for penalty were somewhat muted, but it would not have been completely wrong had the Czechoslovakian official put the whistle to his mouth.
“Football is a game that lasts for 90 minutes, and at the end the Germans win”. That is a famous Gary Lineker quote. And boy was he right for this match, with Littbarski firing home a left-footed winner from distance a mere five minutes from time. The ball had come into his path following Dochev’s tackle on Riedle just outside the penalty area, and the shot sliced towards Donev’s left hand post, with the ‘keeper probably wrong-footed. Team Chef Beckenbauer will have been pleased with how his team managed to turn the score around and win in what was a difficult match on a bumpy pitch and in windy conditions.
kaltz
