Neftohimik lost 1-3 to Sozopol in the AFL Cup regional semi-final. The match was played under floodlights at the Arena Sozopol stadium.
The hosts dominated at the beginning of the match and in the 21st minute they were leading 2-0. Neftokhimik played timidly in those first minutes, giving the initiative to the much more experienced opponent.
Stanislav Zhekov’s young players lost many of the duels and failed to overcome the opponent’s press.
Although dynamic, the game was scrappy, with the players hampered by the difficult pitch. After the 30th minute of the match, the greens started to play the ball more successfully and managed to take the game to more advanced positions.
In the second half, Neftohimik was the more assertive team on the field and managed to keep the ball in front of the opponent’s goal for longer periods of the match.
Burgazlii missed several good scoring opportunities before the 60th minute, when Sozopol scored another goal from a corner to take a 3-0 lead. However, at the end of the match, Neftohimik reached a well-deserved goal, which was the work of Ismailov. The final whistle came with a score of 3-1 for Sozopol.
Although it ended in defeat, the match was a useful test for the players of Neftohimik. They faced an opponent from a higher division and with many experienced footballers in the squad.
Despite the initial lack of confidence, the young players in green shirts played a good second half, during which they successfully opposed the strong opponent.
Petrochemical: Goranov, Ilchev, Slavov (k), Boyadzhiev, Krastev, Popov, Ivanov, Slavilov, Ismailov, Dimitrov, Miroshnik
