Match № 3

The match № 3, (first group stage) first tournament day

BULGARIA – KAZAKHSTAN 2:0 (1:0)

January 3rd, 2015, St. Petersburg, Peterburgsky SCC, 300 spectators

Referees: Artyom Lyubimov, Dmitriy Ermakov, Aleksandr Vistunov

Bulgaria: Mihaylov, Gushlev, Kupenov, Burov (Ivanov, 90), Kerchev (Dimitrov, 82), Maksimov (Petrov, 90), Minkov, Georgiev (c) (Penchev, 82), Alichkov, Iliev (Tsvyatkov, 59), Kirilov (Ignatov, 59)

Head coach: Aleksandar Georgiev

Kazakhstan: Grubov, Abdezh, Abdrazakov (Muftolla, 75), Tinibek, Mirsalimbaev (Vasiliev, 82), Gladchenko (c), Makuov (Slambekov, 50), Kotov (Mameshev, 86), Kambil, Oralbay (Smailov, 71), Kuanishbay (Luhay, 19)

Head coach: Sergey Tagiev

Goals: Georgiev (15), Ignatov (73)

Yellow cards: Alichkov (45), Muftolla (81), Minkov (84)

Best players: Oleg Grubov, Aleksandar Georgiev

After match comments

Head coach of team Bulgaria Aleksandar Georgiev:

– I want to congratulate everybody with holydays and thank the organizers for the invitation to this tournament. It is a good competition with a strong opponents. As for the match, the game was interesting, there were many ideas and many scoring moments as in our team and so in Kazakhstan.We had just started our training period, just gathered, but we showed an intelligent play. I must say, that players of Kazakhstan team has started second half much better. They have pressed our defense for 10 minutes, we couldn't show our game, but I think that our victory was obvious. We won fairly.

– Did you have enough time to prepare for the tournament, to adapt to the pitch?

– We have spent only one training here, but that is not a problem for us: we use natural and artificial pitch both in our preparation. One training was enough to adapt to this coat.

– There was a moment in the first half: your players collided with each other and the Kazakhstan had an opportunity to continue the attack, but the referee stopped the game. When the opponents didn't let the ball to your side, did you think it wasn't a fair play?

– I haven't heard what the referee said. It seemed like he showed "off side". So when the game went on, I thought the ball would be ours. It is just a misunderstanding.

– You made a lucky substitution. Ignatov went to the pitch and 15 minutes later scored the goal. Was it an intentional enforcement of the attack?

– We have many good players and we should check all of them. When I let him in, I put him a task what to do. But the fact he scored the goal – it was a luck. We spent only one training session from 16 till 19 of December. Later we have gathered already here. Yesterday we had one training and the match today. We do not have good teamwork yet, when the players understand each other. But we have played well.

– You have many players from leading football clubs of Bulgaria, but there are no one from CSKA Sofia, why it is so?

– Players of CSKA Sofia has gone for holydays too early and they went back early too. That is why the Club didn't let him to come to national team. The same with Italian clubs. But we have many good players and I know all of them and keep in mind. If someone cannot come I call the other on his place. The choice is rather wide.

Head coach of team Kazakhstan Sergey Tagiev:

– I congratulate everybody with a New Year. I also would like to thank the organizers for invitation to this tournament. We have been participated in Memorial before the last year, but it was unfortunate for us. This year we want to show a sound play and to prove that we can play well. Starting excitement didn't let us to show it today. At about 20 minutes we were afraid of mistakes, afraid of the opponents. It is common for this age. Later we could level the game. We had a talk during the break and I tried to explain one more time how to play. So we have come to the second half more confident.

– There were many mistakes in the first half on one of your wings, all scoring moments had come from this side and one of it has turned to the goal. Have you tried to influence on the defender of that wing?

– Yes, he was reinsured, didn't hold the line. But it was mainly because of excitement, as I said before. I asked him during the break to calm down, showed him on the tablet the scheme of our game and further he played nearly without mistakes.

– Why did you call your goalkeeper the best player of your team in this match, in spite of two missed goals?

– I wanted to support him. He didn't make any mistakes. Scored goals were complicated and there weren't his faults. But who will be the main guilty person after the game? He will, for sure. But as I called him the best in the team, the others have to anlyze their own play and try to find their own mistakes.