Group D | Cup Highlights |  Results | Roster | Road to France | Facts and Figures

(Charles Platiau/Reuters)

Bulgaria Falls to Nigeria, 1-0
Victor Ikpeba (pictured) shot Nigeria into the second round of the World Cup on June 19 with a 10-meter blast in the 27th minute that beat Bulgaria, 1-0. Bulgaria played a slower and more deliberate pace, which Nigeria, known more for its flair than organization, managed to handle better than it usually does. Still, winger Emil Kostadinov almost tied the score with three minutes remaining, but his shot skimmed off the crossbar.

(AFP)

Bulgaria, Paraguay Fail to Score
Bulgaria and Paraguay produced the first scoreless draw of the 1998 finals on June 12, a match that left both sides ruing missed opportunities. The Bulgarians were dominant in the first half, but seemed to tire and were happy with the tie. At left, Bulgaria's Ilian Iliev (pictured, right) runs past Paraguay's Carlos Paredes. Bulgaria dominated play in the first half and an 18-yard shot by Hristo Stoitchkov in the 36th minute hit the right goalpost. He also picked up a yellow card in added time in the first half. As a result, Nankov will miss Bulgaria's game with Nigeria on June 19.

From The Post

WILLIAM GILDEA: Nigeria's One Half Better Than Bulgaria's Whole

From AP

JUNE 12: Bulgaria, Paraguay Battle to Scoreless Tie
JUNE 19: Nigeria Beats Bulgaria to Reach Second Round
JUNE 24: Spain Finally Gets Win but Fails to Qualify
More AP Stories

World Cup Highlights

Seventh appearance in World Cup finals
Finished fourth in the 1994 World Cup in the United States
Reached quarterfinals of 1968 European Championships
Reached finals of European Championships in 1996

First-Round Results

Day Opponent Site Friday, June 12 Paraguay 0, Bulgaria 0 Montpellier Friday, June 19 Nigeria 1, Bulgaria 0 Paris Wednesday, June 24 Spain 6, Bulgaria 1 Lens

Complete First-Round Results

Roster

Pos. Name Age Club GK Borislav Mihailov 36 Slavia Sofia GK Zdravko Zdravkov 27 Istanbulspor D Adalbert Zafirov 29 Arminia Bielefeld D Ivaylo Petkov 22 Litex Lovech D Gocho Guintchev 29 Antalyaspor D Trifon Ivanov 32 CSKA Sofia D Radostin Kishishev 23 Litex Lovech D Rossen Kirilov 25 Litex Lovetch M Ilian Iliev 29 Bursapor M Anatoli Nankov 28 Lokomotiv Sofia M Daniel Borimirov 28 TSV 1860 Munich M Krassimir Balakov 32 VfB Stuttgart M Ivaylo Iordanov 30 Sporting Lisbon M Zlatko Yankov 31 Besiktas M Marian Hristov 24 Kaiserslautern M Gueorgui Batchev 23 Slavia Sofia M Emil Kostadinov 30 CSKA Sofia M Stoytcho Stoilov 26 Litex Lovetch M Milen Petkov 24 CSKA Sofia F Gueorgui Ivanov 21 Levski Sofia F Lyuboslav Penev 31 Compostela F Hristo Stoichkov 32 CSKA Sofia

Road to France

Won Lost Tied GF GA 6 2 0 18 9 How Qualified: 1st place in UEFA Group 5

Date Result Oct. 11, 1997 Russia 4, Bulgaria 2 Sept. 10, 1997 Bulgaria 1, Russia 0 Aug. 20, 1997 Bulgaria 1, Israel 0 June 8, 1997 Bulgaria 4, Luxembourg 0 Apr. 2, 1997 Bulgaria 4, Cyprus 1 Dec. 14, 1996 Cyprus 1, Bulgaria 3 Oct. 8, 1996 Luxembourg 1, Bulgaria 2 Sept. 1, 1996 Israel 2, Bulgaria 1

Facts and Figures

Knight-Ridder/Tribune
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
Population: 8.8 million (1995 estimate)
Capital: Sofia
Comparative area: Slightly larger than Tennessee
Religions: Bulgarian Orthodox 85 percent, Muslim 13 percent, Jewish 0.8 percent, Roman Catholic 0.5 percent, Uniate Catholic 0.2 percent, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian and other 0.5 percent
Landscape: Mostly mountains with lowlands in north and south; strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia