Bulgaria and Hungary are tied 2-1 in UEFA EURO 2024 Group G qualifying. Martin Adam opened the scoring for the Hungarians in the 10th minute. Spas Delev equalized in the 24th minute. In the 36th, defender Valentin Antov left the field with a second yellow card. In the second half, Milos Kerkes from the visitors was also sent off. In the 78th, Kiril Despodov led our team from a penalty.
The meeting was heralded by battle scenes in the central Sofia ultras after extremely serious clashes between law enforcement agencies, gendarmerie and other types of guards with Bulgarian citizens.
In the first minute, the captain of Hungary – Dominik Soboslay, received a short pass on an indirect free kick from Adam Nagy and tried a shot from a serious distance, but quite inaccurate. The Hungarians continued their high press against our team, who had retreated into their own half in the opening minutes of the match.
In the third, the “Hungarians” combined quickly from the left, and Calum Stiles shot from a very small angle and sent the ball wide of Naumov’s goal. The Hungarians’ pressure continued at the same pace and Attila Salaj delivered a cross from the left to Martin Adam and the bearded opposition No9 headed wide.
In the tenth minute of the match, Hungary took the lead. This happened after the guests received a foul on the right, and Dominik Soboslay was behind the ball. The Liverpool superstar crossed powerfully in front of goalkeeper Naumov, where Adam headed the ball past the Lions’ keeper from close range – 1-0 to Hungary.
After 20 minutes of play came the first opportunity for the native national team. Filip Krastev brought out Kiril Despodov after a mistake by the Hungarians, but the former player of Ludogorets got in the way very seriously and a defender of the Hungarians pushed the native captain.
Bulgaria managed to equalize the score in the 24th minute of the match. Then Filip Krastev broke through the center and saw Kiril Despodov on the right. This time the native captain acted better and passed on the ground to Spas Delev. The attacker feinted Soboslay and shot, after which the ball ricocheted into the Hungarian goal – 1:1.
Nine minutes before the end of the first half, Valentin Antov committed a foul in the middle of the field against Martin Adam, and that was enough for the Polish referee to send off the “tricolor” defender. Just two after that, the home football players made an extremely annoying mistake when delivering the ball, and Endre Botka stole in front of Naumov’s penalty area. Ilia Gruev acted decisively and fouled the Hungarian player, who collapsed on the field, and Gruev was sent off with a straight red card.
After almost 3 minutes of review, the referee from Poland saw the VAR and gave Botka a yellow card for simulation and overturned the Leeds United player’s red card. Ilian Iliev made a forced substitution after Antov’s red card. Zhivko Atanasov entered the game and he took the place of Ivaylo Chochev.
In the six minutes of added time of the first half, Soboslay made a diagonal pass in our penalty area to Loig Nego. The dark-skinned football player tried to head down to Adam, but Naumov was careful and caught. Shortly after, Nego was looked at again and he shot from the move with his right foot, but not quite after Adam Nagy’s pass.
A minute after the game resumed, Soboslai tried another shot from a distance, and after a ricochet, Naumov saved. In the 52nd minute, Soboslai shot very sharply from a free kick, and the ball flew frighteningly close to Naumov’s left side post. Two after that, Attila Salai launched himself down the left and cut the ball to Styles, who tapped it out of the air but wide.
In the 58th minute, Bournemouth’s full-back – Milos Kerkes, received a second yellow card after he made a very bad push with the forwards to Alex Petkov, and the referee from Poland logically sent him off the field. Ten minutes later, Soboslai went past Viktor Popov and again fired a right-footed shot, but this one was also off target.
In the counterattack, Kiril Despodov sprinted from the right and passed to Spas Delev. He took control with his chest with his back to the goal and shot a backscissor inaccurately, instead of returning it to Martin Minchev. In the 77th minute, the “tricolors” were given the right to execute a penalty. This happened after Despodov dropped the ball between the legs of Adam Nagy, and Attila Salai tripped him and the referee awarded a penalty to our team. It was our fouled footballer who stood behind the ball, who led the “lions” forward with his right foot in the result – 2:1.
Eight before the end of regular time, Soboslay sent a heavy shot from a free kick, but Daniel Naumov reacted well this time, unlike the previous match between the two teams, played in Budapest.
LIVE / Bulgaria – Hungary 2:1
0:1 Adam (10), 1:1 Delev (24), 2:1 Despodov (78-penalty)
Bulgaria: 1. Daniel Naumov, 2. Viktor Popov, 4. Iliya Gruev, 5. Alex Petkov, 6. Valentin Antov, 9. Spas Delev, 11. Kiril Despodov /k/, 14. Anton Nedyalkov, 18. Ivaylo Chochev, 20. Filip Krastev, 21. Martin Minchev
Breeder: Ilian Iliev
Hungary: 1. Denesh Dybush, 2. Adam Lang, 4. Attila Salai, 7. Loic Nego, 8. Adam Nagy, 9. Martin Adam, 10. Dominic Soboslay /k/, 11. Milos Kerkes, 17. Callum Styles, 21. Endre Botka, 23. Kevin Schobot
Breeder: Marco Rossi
