Sporting player deals blow to Balakov in World Cup qualifying | OneFootball

Sporting's substitute returned to the starting lineup for his national team and played 77 minutes; Krasimir Balakov must not have been pleased with the match result.

Georgia's national team earned their first points with a 3-0 victory at home against the Bulgarian team. Giorgi Kochorashvili returned to the starting lineup and played 77 minutes, participating in the play that led to the third goal with which Willy Sagnol's team won, on this Sunday, September 7. Krasimir Balakov, a legend of Bulgarian football, was certainly not pleased with the result.

The Georgians were already leading by two at halftime thanks to goals from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the star of the team, at 30 minutes, and Nika Gagnidze at 44. Georges Mikautadze, who was once linked with Sporting, sealed the score in the second half.

Willy Sagnol decided to rest Rui Borges' pupil in the final moments, when the score was already 3-0. With these three points, Georgia matched the three that Turkey and Spain already had in Group E, knowing that these two teams will still face each other.

Last Thursday, September 4, Giorgi Kochorashvili played the full 90 minutes in the defeat against Turkey (3-2), where he suffered a dangerous tackle. Next Tuesday, September 9, the footballer will be back under Rui Borges' command as the national champions return to work.

Meanwhile, Balakov played 168 matches with Sporting, scoring 60 goals and winning the Portuguese Cup in the 1994/1995 season against Marítimo, with two goals from his compatriot Ivaylo Iordanov. The left-footed player was signed from Etar Tarnovo, with Sousa Cintra as President, for almost 1 million euros, joining Sporting at the age of 25. The 'Lion of the Balkans' also played 92 games for the Bulgarian national team, scoring 16 goals.

Good atmosphere in the Georgia locker room:

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.