Sobolev penalty gives Russia 1-0 win over Bulgaria in Euro build-up

Updated: May 17, 2023, 12:06 am

Substitute Aleksandr Sobolev's late penalty earned Russia a 1-0 win over Bulgaria in their final warm-up friendly before the European Championship kicks off on Friday.

Sobolev coolly directed his penalty into the left corner in the 84th minute, sending Bulgarian goalkeeper Georgi Georgiev the wrong way.

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Captain Artem Dzyuba, on the brink of becoming Russia's all-time top scorer, was substituted for Sobolev in the 58th minute to generate some attacking pace.

The win is a positive for Russia ahead of the European Championship on Friday.
Photo by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV / AFP

Russia dominated possession but their tepid attack struggled to break down Bulgaria's back line. Russia missed a chance to open the scoring in the 73rd minute when defender Yuri Zhirkov's effort was tipped away by a diving Georgiev.

Russia take on Belgium, the world's top-ranked team, on home turf in St. Petersburg in their opening Euro 2020 match on June 12. They will also face Denmark and surprise qualifiers Finland in Group B.