CSKA 1948 Sofia – The Dormant Giant of Eastern Europe
“Champions Killer”
With only two domestic cups in the last ten years, CSKA’s team seems mediocre and incapable of coping with the competition imposed by Ludogorets over the past decade. The fans of the Sofia Reds are definitely not accustomed to such melancholy from their favorites, and the younger ones among them often hear from the older supporters the stories of the glorious CSKA, formerly known as the “Champions Killer” for a reason.
What prompts this nickname? Let’s recall some of the most emblematic matches of the Reds in Europe, which will help us answer this question.
The Home of the “Army” Audience!
The “Bulgarian Army” Stadium is one of the iconic football arenas in Bulgaria. Throughout the years, CSKA’s home has witnessed numerous memorable matches, which are engraved in the history of the “army men.”
Its current name, “Bulgarian Army,” was given to the stadium in the “Borisova Gradina” park in 1993, and it remains so to this day.
Legends of not only CSKA but Bulgarian football as a whole have played on it – Hristo Stoichkov, Petar Zhekov, Dimitar Yakimov, Georgi Dimitrov, Ivan Zafirov, Georgi Velinov, and many more. Leading CSKA were luminaries in Bulgarian coaching such as Dimitar Penev, Asparuh Nikodimov, Manol Manolov, and many others.
Although CSKA holds the record for titles in Bulgaria – 31, for many of the team’s fans, the most memorable matches will remain CSKA’s matches in Europe – the stage where the “army men” (which is the team nickname) have no equal among the other Bulgarian clubs and are rightfully called the “killer of European champions.”
Three eliminated European champions!
To date, CSKA has faced four reigning European club champions, and in three cases, the reigning European champion has been dethroned.
The first victim was Ajax in 1973 (2-0 and 0-1). Next was Nottingham Forest in 1980 (1-0 and 1-0), and Liverpool in 1982 (2-0 and 0-1). In 2005, CSKA again faced Liverpool, who had recently defeated Milan in the epic final in Istanbul. The “army men” failed to overcome the “Merseysiders,” but they defended their honor and that of Bulgaria by defeating Liverpool 1-0 at Anfield.
It is true that the home matches against European champions in Bulgaria were played at the “Vasil Levski” Stadium, whose capacity is significantly larger than that of the “Army” Stadium.
Nevertheless, the home of the “Reds” remembers some incredible matches in Europe, without which the history of CSKA in European club competitions would not be what it is.
CSKA – Ajax (November 7, 1973)
At that time, Ajax was the king of Europe. The Dutch were invincible and were the holders of the UEFA Champions League in each of the previous three seasons! The end of the Ajax era comes when they face CSKA “Septemvriisko zname” (such was the name of the team at that time, it means : „The flag of September” аnd can be related to the communist government in Bulgaria at that time)!
The “army men” lost the first match 1-0 as guests, so everyone awaited the rematch with bated breath! On November 7, 1973, Sofia turned red, and the 70,000 people in the stadium could not anticipate the amazing feat they were about to witness!
Three months before the match, the star of Ajax and Dutch football, Johan Cruyff, was sold to Barcelona. Nevertheless, the lineup of the team from Amsterdam featured names like Piet Keizer (who scored against CSKA in the first match), Johan Neeskens (later assistant to Frank Rijkaard at Barcelona), Barry Hulshoff, Surbier and Krol, right winger Johnny Rep, and midfielder Ari Haan. Teams like Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Benfica were doomed against the “flying Dutchmen” in the UEFA Champions League.
After Ajax defeated CSKA in the round of 16 in the previous edition of the tournament, the Amsterdammers were confident in their success in the 1973/74 season. However, the “army men” delivered a real lecture in the rematch! Dimitar Marashliev scored with a header in the second half after a pass from Georgi Denev.
Five minutes before the end of extra time, Stefan Mihaylov calmly shoots a seemingly harmless ball from 20 meters, which goes into the goal. This way, CSKA writes its name in golden letters in history, and the three-time European champion is dethroned! Sofia gains the reputation of a graveyard for European champions who had the misfortune to encounter CSKA on their path.
CSKA – Nottingham (September 17, 1980) and Nottingham – CSKA (October 1, 1980)
Fate meets the “army men” with a new reigning European champion. Nottingham won the last two editions of the UEFA Champions League before having the misfortune to draw CSKA “Septemvriisko zname” as their opponent.
In the lineup of the English team, the names of Peter Shilton (the goalkeeper of the Kingdom), the titular right-back of England Viv Anderson, Gary Burtles, John Robertson, Andy Gray, Lloyd, O’Neil, and others stand out.
Tsetso Yonchev scores the only goal in the first match and starts his unique series against the greatest goalkeepers of his time. Before the rematch, Dinko Dimitrov suffers a concussion. Two days before the second match, Angel Rangelov buries his father, but still takes to the field. He fights for victory like a true warrior and a product of the army school.
Plamen Markov and Spas Dzhevizov combine in the center, and the center-forward passes to the edge of the defense to Ruzhdi Kerimov. He pierces Shilton, and CSKA eliminates the reigning European champion for the second time! Thus, the “army men” earn their nickname “champions killer”!
The Evening Post writes: “Why shouldn’t CSKA be the new European champion? Not because they eliminated Nottingham, but because they showed exceptional play that can prevail over any opponent.”
CSKA – Liverpool (March 17, 1982)
Fate’s irony once again sets the reigning European champion against the insurmountable obstacle of CSKA! Liverpool won the UEFA Champions League in 1981 by eliminating the “army men” in the quarter-finals with two victories and an overall score of 6:1! In 1982, at the same stage, the two teams have to play against each other again.
The first match is won by the “Merseysiders” with 1:0 in Liverpool. Immediately before the rematch in Europe, the “Reds” must face “Levski-Spartak.” CSKA wins 2:1 with two goals from Tsetso Yonchev, and everyone is already thinking about the rematch with the English.
At the stadium, over 70,000 people are present. The pathways between the sectors are not visible, and the stands are filled with people up to the roof. Because we couldn’t describe what happened better than the journalist Georgi Atanasov in the book “The Red Bible,” we’ll quote him directly:
“At that moment, CSKA’s goalkeeper tirelessly repelled shot after shot until the army men regrouped and transitioned into attack, never forgetting for a moment, however, the main tactical idea for this match – not to concede a goal and to wait for THE MOMENT. And it came in the 77th minute when left-back Meto Tomanov advanced along his flank and 15-20 meters after the midpoint of the field, he centered towards the penalty area in front of the goal towards sector ‘B’. And there, Liverpool’s goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar was caught off guard, misjudging his exit, and Stoycho Mladenov leaped over him and scored for 1-0.
At that moment, all the gods from all religions were probably shaken in their heavenly spaces by the explosion of human jubilation erupting in one stadium, in one city, and in one country. The roar of happiness might have been heard all the way to Cherni Vrah. However, the people in the stadium neither heard nor saw anything in their trance. On the field, there was a red heap of wet bodies, from which we realized that the goal was a fact, it was true, not a dream…
After that, CSKA took on the role of the new conqueror of Europe, just as they did nine years earlier against Ajax in a mirrored scenario – from the second attempt, after losing 0-1 in the first match, they won 1-0 and went to extra time in the rematch…”
But the moment finally arrives…
In the 101st minute, the ball is deflected and reaches Stoycho Mladenov, who, even though he fell, puts it into Grobbelaar’s net, making it 2-0!
This victory is considered one of the greatest for a Bulgarian team in Europe, and CSKA firmly establishes itself as part of the elite of the Old Continent. March 17 is now considered the “Red Easter.”
The UEFA Champions League final slips away from CSKA, and they narrowly miss reaching the top of the Old Continent.
Will the sleeping giant awaken?
The army men have achieved a series of unthinkable feats in their history. They have proven their class, and rightfully rank among the greatest European champions!
We hope to see a new great success for CSKA (or any other Bulgarian team) in Europe soon, one that surpasses even the current red peaks!
It’s no coincidence that the army men are called the “champions killer,” and all fans eagerly await the moment when they will once again affirm this nickname!
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