Northern Eire weathered a first-half storm in Plovdiv solely to present Bulgaria the decisive objective as they fell to a 1-0 Nations League defeat.
Michael O’Neill’s aspect repelled assault after assault in a troublesome opening 40 minutes earlier than a poor mistake from goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell allowed Bulgaria captain Kiril Despodov to seize the one objective of the night time.
Northern Eire improved significantly after the break however Bulgaria, draw specialists who started the night time with just one win of their final 16, not often seemed troubled on a irritating night time for the Inexperienced and White Military.
O’Neill made just one change to the aspect that beat Luxembourg 2-0 at dwelling on Thursday as Jamal Lewis stepped in for Callum Marshall and Trai Hume retained the captaincy.
But it surely was a really totally different first-half efficiency as Northern Eire struggled in an intimidating environment within the small however noisy Hristo Botev Stadium.
Bulgaria seemed stronger and sharper, and O’Neill’s workforce struggled to get out of their very own half on an terrible pitch, which minimize up badly on this not too long ago renovated floor.
Bulgaria couldn’t imagine they’d not scored solely three minutes in. Peacock-Farrell saved Georgi Kostadinov’s glancing header from Despodov’s nook, however pushed it solely so far as Aleksandar Kolev.
He put the ball again in and it struck Alex Petkov, bouncing goalwards earlier than Ciaron Brown cleared it off the road, onto a publish and into the palms of a grateful Peacock-Farrell.
The onslaught continued and after Shea Charles gave the ball away in midfield, the younger midfielder chased again and did simply sufficient to stop Despodov from getting his shot on course.
Despodov then struck the skin of the left publish with a free-kick from the sting of the realm as Peacock-Farrell may solely watch.
When Northern Eire did rise up the opposite finish, Bulgaria broke rapidly from Brown’s lengthy throw, and an important ball excessive from Leeds midfielder Ilia Gruev put Kolev by way of on objective, solely to hit a tame shot at Peacock-Farrell.
Northern Eire had an opportunity out of nowhere when Bulgaria didn’t cope with a easy ball excessive, however Isaac Value despatched his shot huge and moments later Bulgaria had been celebrating.
Having survived an onslaught, Northern Eire gave the objective away.
Brown shepherded the ball again to Peacock-Farrell in an ungainly spot however the goalkeeper made a poor choice to play it sideways to Daniel Ballard, and Kolev stepped in, squaring the ball for Despodov to faucet in on the again publish for his fifth objective in his final eight internationals.
Northern Eire belatedly wakened as Conor Bradley started coming in the hunt for the ball extra centrally, however he couldn’t get the higher of Aberdeen goalkeeper Dimitar Mitov because the pair challenged for a Charles cross earlier than Ballard headed over.
Northern Eire had been higher in the beginning of the second half too as Charles and Bradley bought the ball shifting, but probabilities had been onerous to return by, and O’Neill despatched on Shayne Lavery for Dion Charles simply earlier than the hour in a bid to combine issues up.
Bulgaria had been nonetheless holding Northern Eire at arm’s size. Though they’d managed to maneuver the sport into Bulgaria’s half, Northern Eire had been truly creating fewer probabilities than they managed on the break within the first half.
Lavery headed over from a Lewis cross and Ballard missed the goal late on as Bulgaria noticed the sport out.
O’Neill: It is very disappointing
Northern Eire supervisor Michael O’Neill: “It’s very disappointing.
“We knew it will be a troublesome recreation in opposition to a workforce we all know have a whole lot of physicality, a whole lot of energy of their workforce, and that was an element within the early a part of the sport.
“I thought we dealt with that well but the nature of the pitch meant it was always going to be a game with more physicality in it than normal and ultimately we lost the game to a poor goal and that’s the most disappointing thing.”
