Some 200 fans supported their favorites from Liverpool FC on Sofia Stadium "Vassil Levski" against CSKA in the first leg of the third qualifying round of UEFA Championship League. The Reds beat 3:1 the Bulgarian Champion. Photo by Kameliya Atanasova (SNA)
Some 200 fans supported their favorites from Liverpool FC live on Sofia Stadium "Vassil Levski" against CSKA in the first leg of the third qualifying round of UEFA Championship League.
The crowd of Liverpool fans displayed banners saying Michael Shields is innocent. The teenage Liverpool fan was sentenced in Varna to 15 years in prison. He was found guilty of an attack against a local bartender, although another Briton - Graham Sankey - has confessed to the crime.
According to sister Laura, as quoted by BBC, Shields watched the Liverpool-CSKA clash on television in his prison cell.
The Merseyside club travelled to Sofia missing eight players through injury. Spanish 18-aged defender Antonio Barragan has been added to Liverpool's squad. Keeper Jerzy Dudek joins Peter Crouch, Djimi Traore, Boudewijn Zenden, Josemi, Harry Kewell, Neil Mellor and Florent Sinama-Pongolle on the sidelines.
CSKA Sofia coach Miodrag Yeshic sharpened the team's spear with national players Hristo Yanev and Tiago Silva.