Dominguez is the MVP

Football drama – Chess United won on penalties against PFC Levski

Berbatov scores again against Levski, Carlsen and Dominguez score 2 goals each, the Cuba player chosen for best player of the match

(Sofia, 18 May, 2009) Chess United and Levski created a real football drama at the Georgi Asparuhov stadium. The team of the Grandmasters from the super chess tournament M-Tel Masters 2009 won on penalties against a selection of PFC Levski. In the regular time the mega derby on a small football field ended 6-6. Referee of the game was the CEO of M-Tel Josef Vinatzer.

The two teams offered attractive attacking football. Daniel Borimirov opened the score in the 2^nd minute. The Grandmasters’ response came only 3 minutes later. A series of good passes exchanged between Carlsen and Dominguez, lead to Dominguez goal from short distance. Again Borimirov scored with a placed shot in the 7^th minute. He scored again for 3-1 in the 10^th minute. In the 11^th minute the GM from Norway Magnus Carlsen was alone against the keeper and after a miss scored with a backheel shot for 3-2. In the 12^th minute medical intervention had to me made on the Bulgarian GM Veselin Topalov. He came back on the field with a protection mask on his face after a consultation with Dr. Nayden Kandilarov.

The head coach of the Blues Emil Velev scored two goals after good team combinations in the 12^th and 14^th minute to give Levski a 5-2 lead. This was followed by phenomenal saves from the keeper Vassily Ivanchuk who denied the blue attack several great scoring chances. Then came the moment of Kiprian Berbatov in the derby. In the 15^th minute his shot past the hosts’ keeper made the result 5-3. That was his second goal of Berbatov in two games against Levski.

In the 19^th minute Bojidar Iskrenov scored for 6-2 after he finished a good combination of multiple passes between the Levski players. It looked like the game would end in a comfortable victory for Levski, when their first-team keeper Georgi Petkov who played as a field player in this game, send the ball in his own goal. In the added by the referee Vinatzer time the team of Chess United created a unique comeback. After a good counterattack Dominguez made a trick on the keeper and scored for 6-5. In the next attack of the chess players Carlsen levelled the score. The referee Vinatzer blew the whistle for full time and the result of the game was going to be decided by penalties.

Both goalkeepers displayed their best during the shootout. Ivanchuk saved 6 out of the 7 shots of Levski and Kiprian Berbatov did not make a mistake from the spot. With the result level the last penalty was for Ivanchuk, He shot past the keeper Borimirov and the final result was 7-8 for Chess United.