Bulgaria's Levski Sofia Beats Sporting, Out with Dignity

Levski left the tournament with a prestigious victory. Photo by BGNES

Bulgaria's Levski Sofia secured a prestigious, albeit consolatory victory in the Europa League Thursday against the strong team of Sporting Lisdbon, thus achieving some revenge for the humiliating 0-5 defeat against the same squad in October.

Daniel Mladenov hit the winner just seconds before half-time, realizing an cross by the team's star, Garra Dembele.

In spite of the cold weather, both teams had an abundance of chances and produced a pretty even match.

Even though Levski did not have hopes of progressing from the league's Group C before Thursday's match, the Bulgarian squad was highly motivated and showcased one of its season's best performances.

Sporting, on the other hand, had four wins from five matches to guarantee their place in the Europa League knock-out rounds as group winners and was not in its full strength, but still managed to pose a significant menace, forcing the Bulgarian team's defense to perform at its best. Levski's victory secured the team a total of 7 points in Group C, a record for a Bulgarian squad in the tournament's group stage.

This was probably the prolific striker Garra Dembele's last match for the Bulgarian side, as rumors say he will soon leave on a luxurious transfer.

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