Bulgaria suffered a 1-2 defeat against Luxembourg at Hristo Botev Stadium in Plovdiv on September 26, marking the national team’s first loss to the opponent in 17 encounters and complicating their promotion path in the UEFA Nations League.
The opening fixture of the UEFA Nations League campaign began with a milestone that quickly soured for the home side. Playing at stadium “Hristo Botev” in front of roughly 3,000 spectators in cool weather conditions, the national team failed to defend a strong historical advantage. Before this fixture, the selection had 14 victories and 3 draws across 17 prior matches against the principality.
Early Lead by Asen Chandarov Fades Before Halftime
Manager Aleksandar Dimitrov deployed a 4-3-3 formation, as on the start of the match on the “Kolezha”, starting Daniel Naumov in goal. The defensive line included Ivan Turitsov, Kristian Dimitrov, Teodor Ivanov, and Dimitar Velkovski, with the defender of Levski wearing the captain’s armband. The midfield trio in the middle of the pitch consisted of Emil Cenov, Asen Chandarov, and Iliya Gruev. Lukas Petkov led the attack of Bulgaria, aided on the flanks by Georgi Rusev and Zdravko Dimitrov.
Early threats came from the visitors when Danel Sinani received a cross from the right and shot on the volley from close range past the goal, almost immediately followed by a technical shot from Leandro Barreiro that flew dangerously close before going out. The Bulgarian team answered with an aggressive foray by Zdravko Dimitrov on the left, who received a deep pass and rushed forward. Kristian Dimitrov had an accurate shot with a head, but goalkeeper Moris intervened.
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In the 18th minute, Asen Chandarov found the visitors’ net after a wonderful combination of the “lions” inside the penalty area. Zdravko Dimitrov well preserved the ball in a dangerous zone for the opponent and passed it behind his back to Velkovski, who immediately continued to the oncoming Chandarov, allowing the Botev Plovdiv midfielder to open the scoring with a measured shot from close range.
The advantage vanished before halftime due to a rough mistake in the Bulgarian defense. In the 37th minute, Leandro Barreiro equalized after finding himself alone against Daniel Naumov and making no mistake, bringing the score to 1-1 as both teams headed to the locker rooms. Earlier, Lukas Petkov received a yellow card in the 28th minute, and Emil Cenov was also booked in the 35th minute.
Vincent Thill Secures Turnaround for Luxembourg
The second half began after the referee started the period, and the visitors applied sustained pressure. In the middle of the second half, specifically in the 65th minute (noted also at 66′), Vincent Thill found the net with a strong shot following a corner kick and created a complete turnaround in the score to make it 1:2. The match was handled by 35-year-old Dutchman Sander van der Eijk.
Manager Aleksandar Dimitrov sought a change by introducing Stanislav Ivanov, Marin Petkov, Petko Panayotov, and Martin Minchev from the bench. Despite the tactical adjustments, the substitutions did not lead to an equalizer, and shouts of “Resignation” were heard from the stands after the final whistle at 90+4 minutes.
Group Standings and Upcoming Fixtures in League C
The defeat leaves the national selection in Group L of League C4. The team complicated their task of advancing to League B of the tournament, while the squad led by Jeff Strasser started positively.
The team must quickly regroup for their next home fixture, as the Bulgarian team will host Estonia on Tuesday, September 29, while Luxembourg will host Iceland. Before the tournament, national coach Aleksandar Dimitrov stated that the goal set by the president of the Bulgarian Football Union, Georgi Ivanov, is promotion into League B of the tournament.
