The Bulgarian champion MFC Spartak Varna achieved a 6:5 victory after a penalty shootout against the strong Azerbaijani team Marathon at the World Club Beach Soccer Championship. The success is the first for Bulgaria on the world club stage.
The Varna team, who have suffered two defeats so far in the competition, started the match unconvincingly and conceded an early goal. Simeon Hristov's students managed to equalize, but at the end of the first period Marathon took the lead again and pulled ahead after the first 12 minutes.
In the second half, MFC Spartak created several good chances, but the posts prevented the Bulgarian team from scoring twice. The Azerbaijanis took advantage of their opportunities and scored two more goals, increasing their lead to 4:1.
However, Varna did not give up and played a strong final third. They scored three unanswered goals and sent the match into overtime, writes Sportal.bg.
In extra time, Spartak had two clear opportunities to reach the victory, and in the final seconds, goalkeeper Stanislav Ivanov saved a dangerous shot by the opponent. Thus, the winner had to be determined after the execution of penalties.
Dobromir Gospodinov played a decisive role in them, who reflected three shots from the penalty spot and brought the Bulgarian champion's historic success. With the victory, MFC Spartak recorded the first success for Bulgaria at the World Club Beach Soccer Championship.