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World Cup Countdown: 6 Weeks to Go - Hristo Stoichkov Inspires Bulgaria to the Brink of Glory

David Ginola is an unlikely hero in Bulgaria.

With moments remaining of their last qualifying match, it looked as though the Eastern European nation were going to miss out on a place at the 1994 World Cup. France had the draw they needed, and Ginola had the ball near the corner flag.

Then Ginola spotted Eric Cantona in the area and couldn’t resist, inexplicably crossing the ball towards the Manchester United man. But it was overhit, and straight to a Bulgarian player. Three passes later, the ball found Emil Kostadinov in the box. He fired past Bernard Lama, and one of the greatest underdog stories in World Cup history began.