WORLD CUP USA ’94 / THE FIRST ROUND : Bulgaria Finds Someone It Can Beat : Group D: Greece seems out of its league in falling by a 4-0 score for the second consecutive game.
Alkis Panagoulias tossed the lineup like a Greek salad.
For Sunday’s match against Bulgaria, Greece’s coach replaced six starters, including his goalkeeper.
It didn’t work. What Panagoulias lacks are fresh ingredients.
Bulgaria, humbled after an opening shutout loss to Nigeria, took out its frustration with a 4-0 victory over Greece before 63,160 at Soldier Field.
It was a historic day for Coach Dimitar Penev and Bulgaria, which savored its first World Cup victory after 11 losses and six ties.
Penev was on the short end more than once as a Bulgarian defender on World Cup entries in 1966, 1970 and 1974.
“This victory brings us enormous joy,” Penev said.
Bulgaria set the tone at the fifth minute, scoring on the first of two penalty kicks by Hristo Stoichkov. Bulgaria added goals in the 66th and 90th minutes to keep the team’s hopes for advancement alive.
Argentina has a stranglehold on Group D with six points. Nigeria and Bulgaria have three each. The catch is that Bulgaria must play Argentina on Thursday, while Nigeria faces Greece.
The Bulgarians are optimistic of getting at least a tie against Argentina, which could be enough to send them into the round of 16.
Despite wildly supportive fans and so many Greek banners it made Soldier Field look a college fraternity convention, Greece could not put up much of a fight.
Panagoulias’ lineup changes were largely cosmetic. The new group was thumped by the same score that Argentina had dealt Greece.
“We don’t have the luxury of having great players,” Panagoulias said. “I’m trying to play everybody. We don’t have the Stoichkovs, or some of those great players. So changing players means almost nothing for us.”
The Greeks are relatively new at the nuances of world-class soccer, but more was expected after showing well in qualification.
Greece was all hands against Bulgaria.
The game was barely four minutes old when Krasimir Balakov, a Bulgarian midfielder, sent a crossing pass in front of Greece’s goal that Alexandris Alexoudis handed, resulting in a penalty kick.
Stoichkov, the Bulgarian superstar who plays professionally for Barcelona, punched the ball left to beat goalkeeper Elias Atmatzides.
Although converting penalty kicks is routine, Stoichkov said he felt the pressure.
“I was self-assured; so far I have never missed in such a situation,” he said. “But still I was feeling the gaze of all Bulgaria on me.”
The score held until the 55th minute, when Atmatzides made an inexcusable mistake. After charging out from his box to stop forward Nasko Sirakov’s drive to the net, Atmatzides grabbed Sirakov by the legs, preventing him from a possible score.
Stoichkov punched another penalty shot home and the rout was on.
Atmatzides saw the call differently.
“We both got up at the same time,” Atmatzides contended. “I need to see the tape in order to make that decision. I don’t believe I grabbed his legs. I feel that he fouled me.”
It didn’t matter. Bulgaria added two more goals with no need of charity.
In the 66th minute, midfielder Yordan Letchkov played give-and-go with Zlatko Iankov, who returned the pass to Letchkov who angled a shot off the right post to make it 3-0.
Bulgaria made it 4-0 late when Daniel Borimirov rebounded a blistering free kick by Stoichkov that ricocheted off Atmatzides.
Until the final minutes, when the game was in hand, Greece didn’t mount an offensive threat. Its best chance came and went in the 76th minute when Nikos Machlas headed a shot that was stopped by Borislav Mikhailov.
One of Mikhailov’s best saves, truthfully, came when one of his own players poorly headed the ball back to his keeper.
What made Greece hit the skids? Panagoulias first blamed the warm climate, then eventually conceded his players were not of World Cup ilk.
“It’s more of an attitude required in the World Cup and the determined quality of international players to endure the pressure of the World Cup,” he said.
With nowhere to go except home, Panagoulias hopes his players won’t quit in the team’s finale against Nigeria.
“This is the World Cup,” he said. “These are the greatest players in the world. You should keep playing, insisting, that we go for our first win, or even our first goal.”
