site.btaNearly 20,000 Back Stiliyan Petrov's Match of Hope in Sofia
Nearly 20,000 visitors came to back the Match of Hope charity match organized by Bulgarian football legend Stiliyan Petrov to support people, hospitals and organizations fighting cancer. The match of Bulgarian and foreign football stars was played in the Vassil Levski National Stadium and ended with a 3-3 draw.
The initiative was inspired by Petrov's very own battle with cancer years ago.
The game was interrupted by emotional moments several times. Some of the world's biggest football stars arrived in Sofia for Petrov's initiative.
Petrov himself played in the international stars' team early in the match and moved to the Bulgaria team the second half, taking on the captain's patch from Hristo Stoichkov. He played until the 82nd min. and left the field, teary-eyed, under the sound of You'll Never Walk Alone.
President Rumen Radev and Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov were in the stands for the match, sitting next to each each. Sport Minister Dimiter Iliev and Sofia Mayor Yordanka Fandakova were also in the VIP stands.
The proceeds from the match will be donated to cancer hospitals in Bulgaria.
Starting line-ups:
Bulgaria: Zdravko Zdravkov, Milen Petkov, Alexander Tunchev, Ilian Stoyanov, Ivaylo Petkov, Daniel Borimirov, Krasimir Balakov, Georgi Peev, Martin Petrov, Dimitar Berbatov, Hristo Stoichkov
second half: Dimitar Ivankov, Radostin Kishishev, Rosen Kirilov, Ilia Gruev, Marian Hristov, Ilian Iliev, Velizar Dimitrov, Hristo Yanev, Mikhail Alexandrov, Hristo Yovov, Vladimir Manchev, Valeri Bozhinov, Nasko Sirakov
coach: Dimitar Dimitrov
World Stars: Shay Given, Alan Hutton, Gary Cahill, James Collins, Jeremy Lynch, Stiliyan Petrov, Gareth Barry, Ashley Young, Robert Pires, Henrik Larsson, Luis Garcia
Second half: Carl Ikeme, Florent Malouda, Joe Cole, Nemanja Vidic, Richard Dunne, Kolo Toure, Maxwell, Roy Keane, Yuri Djorkaef
coach: Martin O'Neill
/NF/
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