· 2 min readIn this Bulgaria vs Luxembourg match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
Bulgaria and Luxembourg came into this Nations League campaign with a similar objective: finish top of the group and fight for promotion to League B. Bulgaria came into the game as the slightly stronger side, mainly because of their individual quality, but Luxembourg had Leandro Barreiro, probably the most talented player on the pitch. It was not a game packed with big names, but it could still be an interesting one.
And it was Luxembourg who started better. In the 4th minute, Laurent Jans found Danel Sinani completely free inside the box after Georgi Rusev lost his man, but the shot was terrible and did not even trouble the goal. That had to be a goal.
Bulgaria took a while to get into the game and initially defended in a 5-4-1, while Luxembourg had more of the ball and looked more comfortable.
In the 11th minute, Dimitrov created Bulgaria’s first chance, but his low and weak shot was comfortably saved by Anthony Moris. Shortly after, Leandro Barreiro won the ball, drove forward and even won a foul near the box. From the start, he looked like Luxembourg’s main technical reference.
But it was Bulgaria who took the lead. In the 17th minute, Petkov, despite being a striker, dropped almost all the way into the defensive line to receive the ball and then switched play brilliantly to Dimitrov. The winger cut inside, found Velkovski making the overlap and the full-back played a low cross for Chandarov to tap in. 1-0, and Chandarov scored on his debut. A really good move, especially because of Petkov’s involvement in the build-up.
After the goal, Bulgaria grew into the game and started to balance things out. Velkovski had a good chance from a free kick but put it over, while Moris had to save a long-range effort from Tsenov.
The equaliser came in the 36th minute. Barreiro received the ball in the middle, played it into Kadamani and was ready to get it back, but the ball took a lucky deflection off Dimitrov and fell perfectly for the Luxembourg midfielder. Barreiro was that close to goal and made no mistake. 1-1.
Kadamani is only 17 and was involved in a move that ended with Luxembourg’s best player in a perfect position to score.
The first half ended evenly, with good moments from both sides and 14 shots in total. For a game that did not exactly promise a spectacle, it was turning into a pretty good match for a neutral.
The second half started much more calmly. Bulgaria had more possession but could not turn that control into any real danger. In the 56th minute, a risky clearance from captain Jans almost caused problems for Luxembourg and, from the resulting corner, Petkov headed just wide.
Then, in the 67th minute, Luxembourg turned the game around. A corner was played into the box, the Bulgarian goalkeeper came out but failed to clear it. Thill picked up the loose ball and curled it into the top corner. What a goal. Even with the goalkeeper out of position, it would have been extremely difficult to save. 1-2 and Luxembourg were ahead.
From there, Bulgaria looked for an equaliser but lost the momentum they had built earlier. Luxembourg started thinking more about protecting the lead and, although they were not defending brilliantly, Bulgaria simply could not put them under enough pressure.
Kadamani showed a few glimpses of his talent, but it was also clear that he is still very raw. In the 79th minute, he had a relatively simple pass available that would have sent a teammate through on goal, but his execution was poor. On the other side, Stanislav Ivanov also failed to make the most of a good cross in the 85th minute.
Post-match
Bulgaria continued to struggle to create anything in the final minutes and eventually suffered a home defeat against an opponent who was considered weaker before the game. Luxembourg did not need to put in an extraordinary performance. They were consistent, took their chances and went home with all three points.
