Third Consecutive Failure for the lions in the Qualifiers: Bulgaria Suffers a Heavy Loss in Georgia
The Bulgarian national football team suffered its second defeat in the qualifying cycle for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. In a dramatic match from the second round of Group E, the lions fell with a classic 0-3 to the Georgian team. The match, which took place at the Boris Paichadze stadium, left the Bulgarian team without a single point and with worsened chances for qualification.
Despite the ambitions and attempts at resistance in the opening minutes, the players of head coach Ilian Iliev could not counter the strong play of the hosts. The Bulgarian team showed signs of life only in the first phase of the match, when they even had a golden opportunity to take the lead. In the 5th minute, Marin Petkov sent a powerful header after a cross from Radoslav Kirilov, but the Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili made an authoritative save and rescued his goal. Just three minutes later, Svetoslav Vutsov also had to demonstrate reflexes, saving a shot from Otar Kakabadze.
After these initial exchanges of shots, the initiative gradually and irrevocably passed into the hands of the Georgian team. Under the leadership of assistant coach Zurab Khizanishvili, the _crusaders_ imposed territorial dominance, which became a constant source of danger for the Bulgarian defense. In the 21st minute, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia sent a warning shot that went wide of Vutsov's goal.
The hosts' constant pressure yielded results in the 30th minute. A mistake by Vladimir Nikolov allowed Kvaratskhelia to take advantage of the situation, get past Anton Nedyalkov and Nikolay Minkov, and with a precise shot, he opened the scoring, putting in the first goal of the match. The Georgians didn't slow down, and Georges Mikautadze hit the post a little later, and in the 34th minute, he missed a chance to increase his team's lead after an assist from Zuriko Davitashvili.
Despite Bulgarian hopes for a change, the hosts' pressure continued. In the 44th minute, Emil Tsenov failed to intercept a crucial pass, and the ball fell to Davitashvili's feet. He immediately passed to Nika Gagnidze, who was left alone against Vutsov and uncompromisingly made it 2:0, solidifying his team's dominance even before halftime.
The second half began with a heavy atmosphere for the Bulgarian team, and any illusion of a comeback vanished. In the 54th minute, Kvaratskhelia sent another dangerous shot over Vutsov's goal, showing that the Georgians had not let their guard down. The final goal came in the 65th minute. Giorgi Kochorashvili shot, Vutsov failed to hold the ball, and on the subsequent rebound, Georges Mikautadze didn't make a mistake, shaping the classic 3:0 result.
During the last quarter of an hour of the match, the Bulgarians tried to create some intrigue, but Marin Petkov's shot went wide of the goal, and in added time, the Georgians continued to create problems for our defense without managing to score again.
With this defeat, the Bulgarian national team drops to last, fourth place in Group E, without a single point. On the other hand, the Georgians recorded their first victory in the qualifiers and climbed to third position with 3 points. The next extremely important match for the _tricolours_ is on October 11, when they will host Turkey, while the Georgian team will visit Spain. This will be a decisive test for the Bulgarian footballers, who must show a completely different face if they want to preserve even minimal chances for qualification.