European Qualifiers
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EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS - 2014/16 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS National Stadium - Ta' Qali Friday 12 June 2015 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Malta Group H - Matchday -7 Bulgaria Last updated 12/07/2021 17:36CET Official Partners of UEFA EURO 2020 Previous meetings 2 Match background 4 Squad list 5 Head coach 7 Match officials 8 Competition facts 9 Match-by-match lineups 10 Team facts 12 Legend 14 1 Malta - Bulgaria Friday 12 June 2015 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit National Stadium, Ta' Qali Previous meetings Head to Head 2016 UEFA European Championship Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached Galabinov 6; Failla 49 16/11/2014 QR (GS) Bulgaria - Malta 1-1 Sofia (P) FIFA World Cup Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached Herrera 78; Dimitrov 10/09/2013 QR (GS) Malta - Bulgaria 1-2 Ta' Qali 9, Gargorov 59 Tonev 6, 38, 68, 22/03/2013 QR (GS) Bulgaria - Malta 6-0 Sofia Popov 47, Gargorov 55, Ivanov 78 FIFA World Cup Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached Barbara 77; Yankov 12/10/2005 QR (GS) Malta - Bulgaria 1-1 Ta' Qali 67 Berbatov 43, 56, 13/10/2004 QR (GS) Bulgaria - Malta 4-1 Sofia Yanev 47, Yankov 87; Mifsud 12 FIFA World Cup Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached 01/09/2001 QR (GS) Malta - Bulgaria 0-2 Ta' Qali Berbatov 74, 80 G. Ivanov 40, 65, S. 07/10/2000 QR (GS) Bulgaria - Malta 3-0 Sofia Todorov 90 1976 UEFA European Championship Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached Panov 69, Yordanov 21/12/1975 PR (GS) Malta - Bulgaria 0-2 Gzira 88 Dimitrov 2, Denev 22, 11/06/1975 PR (GS) Bulgaria - Malta 5-0 Sofia Panov 25, Bonev 68 (P), Milanov 71 Final Qualifying Total tournament Home Away Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA EURO Malta 1 0 0 1 2 0 1 1 - - - - 3 0 1 2 1 8 Bulgaria 2 1 1 0 1 1 0 0 - - - - 3 2 1 0 8 1 2 Malta - Bulgaria Friday 12 June 2015 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit National Stadium, Ta' Qali Final Qualifying Total tournament Home Away Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA FIFA* Malta 3 0 1 2 3 0 0 3 - - - - 6 0 1 5 3 18 Bulgaria 3 3 0 0 3 2 1 0 - - - - 6 5 1 0 18 3 Friendlies Malta - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 0 1 2 1 11 Bulgaria - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 2 1 0 11 1 Total Malta 4 0 1 3 5 0 1 4 - - - - 12 0 3 9 5 37 Bulgaria 5 4 1 0 4 3 1 0 - - - - 12 9 3 0 37 5 * FIFA World Cup/FIFA Confederations Cup 3 Malta - Bulgaria Friday 12 June 2015 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit National Stadium, Ta' Qali Match background Malta will aim to build on an encouraging result in Sofia as they welcome Bulgaria, who are looking to make positive progress in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group H under their new coach. Previous meetings • Malta's 12 matches against Bulgaria have ended W0 D3 L9 (W0 D2 L4 in Malta), but a 1-1 draw in Sofia in November represented a major breakthrough for Pietro Ghedin – and prompted the departure of Bulgaria coach Luboslav Penev. • The sides first came together in their only previous UEFA European Championship encounters, in qualifying for the 1976 finals. On 11 June 1975, Stoyan Ormandzhiev's Bulgaria beat Terenzio Polverini's Malta 5-0 in Sofia, with goals from Borislav Dimitrov (2), Georgi Denev (22), Pavel Panov (25), Hristo Bonev (68) and Kiril Milanov (71). Panov (69) and Stoyan Yordanov (88) scored in the return fixture on 21 December 1975, a 2-0 win at Empire Stadium in Gzira. • The teams have been paired in three FIFA World Cup qualifying campaigns – for the 2002, 2006 and 2014 editions. In those most recent games, Penev's Bulgaria beat Ghedin's Malta 6-0 in Sofia on 22 March 2013, Alexandar Tonev scoring his first three international goals (6, 38, 68) and Ivelin Popov (47), Emil Gargorov (55) and Ivan Ivanov (78) also weighing in. • The return leg in Ta' Qali was closer, Radoslav Dimitrov (9) and Gargorov (59) scoring for the visitors, before Edward Herrera (78) gave Malta some late hope. Form guide • Malta are yet to win in five Group H outings; the only goal of their campaign so far was Clayton Failla's equaliser from the penalty spot in Sofia. • Bulgaria are without a victory in four Group H matches since kicking off with a 2-1 win in Azerbaijan, though a 2-2 draw against Italy in their last game – their first under new coach Ivaylo Petev – was a positive result. • Malta had not won since November 2013 before a 2-0 friendly win against Lithuania on Monday 8 June. They have not prevailed in nine competitive fixtures (D1 L8) since a 1-0 victory in Armenia in World Cup qualifying in June 2013. Trivia and links • Malta goalkeeper Justin Haber played club football in Bulgaria with PFC Dobrudzha Dobrich in 1998. • Bulgaria midfielder Mihail Alexandrov turns 26 on the eve of the Malta game. • Bulgaria midfielder Georgi Milanov was fouled 19 times in the first half of the qualifying campaign – more than any other player in the competition. • The nations' nine meetings in UEFA youth and age-group competitions have ended W7 D2 L0 to the Bulgarian teams, with the most recent encounter a 1-1 UEFA European Under-21 Championship draw in Ta' Qali on 11 October 2005. • Clubs from the two countries have crossed paths nine times in UEFA competition, with the Bulgarian sides victorious in all nine matches. Most recently, PFC Litex Lovech beat Sliema Wanderers FC 7-0 on aggregate in the first qualifying round of the 2007/08 UEFA Cup. 4 Malta - Bulgaria Friday 12 June 2015 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit National Stadium, Ta' Qali Squad list Malta Current season Qual. FT No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers - Justin Haber 09/06/1981 34 Birkirkara - 0 0 0 0 - Henry Bonello 13/10/1988 26 Hibernians - 0 0 0 0 - Glen Zammit 05/08/1987 27 Sliema - 0 0 0 0 Defenders - Alex Muscat 14/12/1984 30 Sliema - 0 0 0 0 - Ryan Camilleri 22/05/1988 27 Valletta - 5 0 0 0 - André Agius 12/08/1986 28 Hibernians - 5 0 0 0 - Clifford Baldacchino 09/02/1988 27 Sliema - 1 0 0 0 - Ryan Scicluna 30/07/1993 21 Birkirkara - 1 0 0 0 Midfielders - Roderick Briffa 24/08/1981 33 Valletta - 4 0 0 0 - Paul Fenech 20/12/1986 28 Birkirkara - 5 0 0 0 - Clayton Failla 08/01/1986 29 Hibernians - 4 1 0 0 - Joseph Zerafa 31/05/1988 27 Birkirkara - 0 0 0 0 - Rowen Muscat 05/06/1991 24 Birkirkara - 5 0 0 0 - Clive Brincat 31/05/1983 32 Balzan - 0 0 0 0 - Bjorn Kristensen 05/04/1993 22 Hibernians - 2 0 0 0 - Zach Muscat 22/08/1993 21 Birkirkara - 5 0 0 0 - Firas Abulezz 25/07/1986 28 Tarxien - 0 0 0 0 Forwards - Michael Mifsud 17/04/1981 34 Sliema - 3 0 0 0 - Andrew Cohen 13/05/1981 34 Hibernians - 1 0 0 0 - André Schembri 27/05/1986 29 Omonia - 5 0 0 0 - Edward Herrera 14/11/1986 28 Birkirkara - 0 0 0 0 - Stephen Pisani 07/08/1992 22 Floriana - 1 0 0 0 - Alfred Effiong 29/11/1984 30 Qormi - 1 0 0 0 Coach - Pietro Ghedin 21/11/1952 62 - 5 0 0 0 5 Malta - Bulgaria Friday 12 June 2015 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit National Stadium, Ta' Qali Bulgaria Current season Qual. FT No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers Lokomotiv - Bozhidar Mitrev 31/03/1987 28 - 0 0 0 0 Sofia - Blagoy Makendzhiev 11/07/1988 26 Beroe - 0 0 0 0 - Plamen Iliev 30/11/1991 23 Botoşani - 0 0 0 0 Defenders - Ivan Bandalovski 23/11/1986 28 Partizan - 0 0 0 0 - Petar Zanev 18/10/1985 29 Amkar - 1 0 0 0 - Stanislav Manolev 16/12/1985 29 Kuban - 5 0 0 0 - Aleksandar Aleksandrov 13/04/1986 29 Ludogorets - 1 0 0 0 - Nikolay Bodurov 30/05/1986 29 Fulham - 5 1 0 0 - Georgi Terziev 18/04/1992 23 Ludogorets - 1 0 0 0 - Yordan Minev 14/10/1980 34 Ludogorets - 3 0 0 0 - Kristiyan Malinov 30/03/1994 21 Litex - 0 0 0 0 - Borislav Stoychev 26/11/1986 28 Levski - 0 0 0 0 Midfielders - Hristo Zlatinski 22/01/1985 30 Ludogorets - 0 0 0 0 - Vladimir Gadzhev 18/07/1987 27 Levski - 3 0 0 0 Spartak - Ivelin Popov 26/10/1987 27 - 4 1 0 0 Moskva - Svetoslav Dyakov 31/05/1984 31 Ludogorets - 5 0 0 0 - Alexandar Tonev 03/02/1990 25 Celtic - 3 0 0 0 CSKA - Georgi Milanov 19/02/1992 23 - 5 0 0 0 Moskva - Ivaylo Chochev 18/02/1993 22 Palermo - 0 0 0 0 - Mihail Alexandrov 11/06/1989 26 Ludogorets - 4 0 0 0 Forwards - Ilian Micanski 20/12/1985 29 Karlsruhe - 4 2 0 0 Slavia - Radoslav Vasilev 12/10/1990 24 - 0 0 0 0 Sofia - Andrej Galabinov 27/11/1988 26 Livorno - 4 1 0 0 Coach - Ivaylo Petev 09/07/1975 39 - 1 0 0 0 6 Malta - Bulgaria Friday 12 June 2015 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit National Stadium, Ta' Qali Head coach Pietro Ghedin Date of birth: 21 November 1952 Nationality: Italian Playing career: ACF Fiorentina, SS Lazio, AC Venezia, Calcio Catania, Pescara Calcio, AC Pistoiese, AC Siena Coaching career: Italy Under-18, Malta U21, Malta (twice), Italy (assistant), Italy women • Defender Ghedin played in Serie A with Fiorentina and Lazio, joining the latter immediately after the capital side had won their first-ever Scudetto in 1974 and remaining at the Stadio Olimpico until 1981.