Botev (Plovdiv) and Slavia (Sofia) finished 0:0 in a match in the 27th round of the Premier League. The game was played under the constant rain at the stadium in the Ovcha Kupel quarter of the capital.
The match will be most remembered by Bruno Baltazar’s decision to start with 11 foreigners in the starting lineup for the Canaries. Baltazar’s boys could have played better in the first half, not delivering a single blow to Slavia’s door. The “Yellow-Blacks” limited themselves to a few attacks, not even reaching a corner.
On their turn, the “whites” had several situations, the first of which came after a big mistake by Van Hertham, but Stoev missed. Dobrev and Galin Ivanov followed inaccurate hits, ending the first part.
After the break, the Canaries played far better, and in the first seconds, Traore’s strike was saved by Vutsov. In the 51st minute, Galin Ivanov broke loose in the penalty field and shot, but the hit was inaccurate.
In the 61st minute, a powerful shot of Mertens was neutralised by Vutsov, and in the 68th minute, severe danger to the “whites” was prevented by the “yellow-black” defence.
The Canaries were the more active team in the final minutes and had a golden chance in the 81st minute. Abdulaye Traore overcame a speed defender in a strong match and shot from a clean position, but Vutsov struck with a leg.
The last good situation in the match was again in Botev’s favour. In the 87th minute, James Etoeo shot from the right on the attack, but the home guard saved.