Ivelin Popov

The player of Spartak Moscow Ivelin Popov was awarded the best Bulgarian footballer of the year prize on Saturday.

Popov garnered 241 points, leaving behind him Palermo midfielder Ivaylo Chochev and CSKA Moscow midfielder Georgi Milanov.

Bulgarian Sports Minister Krasen Kralev handed the award to the captain of the Bulgarian men's national football team.

Bulgarian football player Ivelin Popov, who plays for Spartak Moscow, was voted both best player for the tenth round of the Russian Premier League and for the month of September.

Popov made an excellent performance in the derby against the reigning champion Zenit, scoring a beautiful goal for his team to come in the lead with 2:1.

The Bulgarian men's national football team defeated Malta 1:0 in a match from qualifying Group H on Friday and kept its chances of qualifying for UEFA Euro 2016 alive.

The only goal was scored by striker Ivelin Popov in the 56th minute after Ilian Micanski had missed a penalty for the Bulgarians in the added time of the first half.

Bulgaria repeated its performance World Cup 2014 qualification against Italy in matchday 5 of the EURO 2016 qualification Group H.

Italy was 1-0 in the lead, but Bulgaria managed to make a 2-1 comeback, which eventually ended 2-2.

The teams of Bulgaria and Italy are tied 2:2 in a EURO 2016 qualifiers game played Saturday at the Vasil Levski Stadium in Sofia, Bulgaria.

This comes after Bulgaria had been leading for more than an hour in a match that to a large extent will determine its chances for the EURO 2016 championship.   

Bulgaria's Yordan Minev scoring an own goal in the 4th minute of the match.

Croatia beat Bulgaria 1-0 in a Euro 2016 Group H qualifier in Sofia last night after an own goal from Nikolay Bodurov nine minutes before the break.

Croatia's Ivan Rakitic floated a free-kick into the penalty area and Ivan Perisic headed it down, only for Bodurov to send the ball into his own net.