A Diomansy Kamara equaliser was enough to earn a point for Fulham against CSKA Sofia in a 1-1 draw.
Goalkeeper error earns Roy Hodgson's side a point
A Diomansy Kamara equaliser was enough to earn a point for Fulham against CSKA Sofia in a 1-1 draw in the Balgarska Armiya.
Roy Hodgson's men travelled to the Bulgarian capital with a very different squad from the one that beat Everton last weekend, and the only two players that remained in the starting line-up were John Pantsil and keeper David Stockdale.
After a cagey first half it was the hosts who took the lead thanks to a strike from substitute Michel from the edge of the penalty area on 62 minutes.
But Fulham hit back just three minutes later as Kamara broke free after a ball over the top bounced favourably for him to round the goalkeeper and slot home for deserved point in their opening Europa League group game.
The introduction of an additional assistant referee alongside each goal passed without incident, though in a dismal first half this owed much to the lack of action in the penalty area.
Ivan Stoyanov provided one of the few highlights when he reacted smartly to some careless play by Fulham, linking neatly with Yordan Todorov before firing narrowly wide of the left post.
Sloppy
The teams took turns to give away possession in midfield and both lacked penetration in the face of some energetic defending.
Slowly CSKA began tightening the screw, spending more time in Fulham's half without actually threatening the goal and their period of domination ended without reward.
The Bulgarian club looked a different outfit after the interval, attacking with
purpose and flair.
Impact
Slippery footwork from substitute Marquinhos ended with a superb flat ball into the box that CSKA claimed Stephen Kelly handled, but referee Darko Ceferin was not persuaded.
Marquinhos chested the ball down to Michel Platini who buried the half-volley from the edge of the area for an impressive 63rd-minute strike that the home fans celebrated wildly.
The lead lasted just three minutes, however, as the bounce of Nevland's pass deceived Karadzhov and Kamara was able to skip away from the keeper before finding an empty net.
Stockdale produced a stunning save to deny Yordan Todorov, showing lightning reflexes to palm the ball over the crossbar.
| CSKA Sofia |
Team Statistics |
Fulham |
| 1 |
Goals |
1 |
| 0 |
1st Half Goals |
0 |
| 5 |
Shots on Target |
2 |
| 7 |
Shots off Target |
6 |
| 2 |
Blocked Shots |
0 |
| 9 |
Corners |
1 |
| 10 |
Fouls |
9 |
| 4 |
Offsides |
3 |
| 2 |
Yellow Cards |
3 |
| 0 |
Red Cards |
0 |
| 71.5 |
Passing Success |
67.4 |
| 19 |
Tackles |
19 |
| 73.7 |
Tackles Success |
73.7 |
| 53.9 |
Possession |
46.1 |
| 48.6 |
Territorial Advantage |
51.4 |
|
