Super start for Sofia

South-West Region-Sofia top UEFA Regions' Cup Group A after a 3-1 opening-day win against JMKFS Brno.

Pace and finishing
Ivan Iliev's side may not have had the technical skills of their opponents from the Czech Republic but their pace and finishing won the day as two goals from striker Ivan Todorov and a third from Iskren Pisarov saw them get the better of the play on an excellent pitch in Zabierzów.

Top scorer
With the Czechs' silky skills having little effect against their Bulgarian opponents, Iliev's men took the lead after 25 minutes as the dangerous Todorov - the final tournament's top scorer after the first game - exploited a defensive error to put the ball safely between the posts.

Czech comeback
None the less, the Czechs did not give up hope, and on the stroke of half-time clawed their way back into the game. A free-kick found midfield player Milan Sebesta and he made no mistake to send his side in at the break at 1-1. However, it was to be the end of the scoring for Ladislav Bedrich's side.

Final blow
The second half was to be less incident-packed than the first as the Czechs found little foothold in the face of a determined Bulgarian side. And in the final ten minutes of the game the Bulgarians found the goals their performance merited.

Midfield brilliance
Todorov's second goal after 83 minutes was to be rather more impressive than his first, although much of the credit for it goes to Georgi Kaladzhiev. The midfield player went on a rampaging run through the Czech team, beating three opponents before laying the ball off for his team-mate to score his second of the game.

Final say
And it was to be South-West Region-Sofia who had the final say a minute into added time as Iskren Pisarov was set free by a swift counterattack and calmly finished to cap a fine performance from his side.