Bulgaria approach Friday’s Group C clash against Denmark chastened after their 5-0 humiliation by Sweden and hoping to kick-start their Euro 2004 campaign by drawing on their experience at the 1994 World Cup.
In the United States a decade ago, Bulgaria slipped up badly against Nigeria in their opening match before fighting back to make it through to the semifinals. They will need to reproduce a similar recovery act to avoid an early flight back to Sofia.
Striker Dimitar Berbatov sayd: ”We were beaten 3-0 by Nigeria in our first match at the 1994 World Cup, and then made it through to the last four. We’ll just have to do the same thing again!”
No one in the Bulgarian camp is kidding themselves that the road ahead is anything but rocky, especially with Denmark emerging the morale victors in their goalless draw against Italy.
”I saw Denmark’s game, they’re very good and should win,” said Berbatov. ”But my team is ready to move on and forget what happened in our first game.”
The Bayer Leverkusen attacker disclosed the team had held a soul-searching session to try and determine what precisely went wrong in Guimareas to produce such a wretched scoreline.
”We all sat down and discussed in turn our faults, the mistakes we made in that awful match, and our strengths.
”There’s pressure on us, we don’t like being the only team to have been beaten 5-0.
”But the mood is good — we’re all united. If you believe in yourselves you have a chance, and we believe in ourselves.”
Berbatov was instrumental in getting Bulgaria to Portugal, scoring five goals in qualifying, and he’s desperate to find the target against the Danes.
”I hope to score, I’m ready, the team’s ready. It’s going to be very hard. If we play like we did in the first game we’ll lose.
”But we’ve got good players and now we want to show everyone the real Bulgaria.
”I know my quality and I know the quality of my side.”
Defender Predrag Pazin reckons Denmark’s strategy of using two wingers — Dennis Rommedahl down the right and Martin Jorgensen on the left — will be better suited to Bulgaria than Sweden’s more disciplined approach.
The Serbia and Montenegro-born central defender added: ”We know the Danish team quite well having played them in [2002] World Cup qualifying. They play a more technical game than Sweden, which will help us.”
Reports in the Bulgarian press back home talk of strife in the team, and notably a bust-up between Pazin and fellow defender Ilian Stoianov.
But Pazin brushed aside any suggestions of conflict.
”What’s been written is completely untrue. There are no problems and we’re completely focussed.”
Denmark have been boosted by the return of Chelsea’s Jesper Gronkjaer, who has rejoined the team after the death of his mother.
Coach Morten Olsen now has a full squad to pick from as Everton midfielder Thomas Graveson is also back in the frame after being banned for the Italy match.
Olsen said it would be foolhardy to read too much into the extravagant scoreline in Bulgaria’s opener.
He reasoned: ”It did not give a fair picture of the game — far from it. The Bulgarians actually dominated the match for the first hour, and Sweden were lucky to be leading 1-0 at half-time.
”Not until Sweden scored two goals in a minute did the Bulgarian team collapse. Therefore I expect a difficult game against opponents who have to win, and who play very much like ourselves, with a 4-3-3 formation.” — Sapa