Bulgaria lost 5-0 to Iceland at the Hristo Botev stadium in Plovdiv. Andri Gudjohnsen scored three times for the visitors in the League C Group H Nations League match on Friday evening.

Bulgaria had 4 points before the game, and Iceland led the group with 8. The defeat hurts the chances of coach Atanas Ribarski's side of finishing first and possibly moving up to League B.

Iceland went ahead in the 16th minute, when Yoan Stoyanov trod on Ori Oskarsson in the penalty area. Gudjohnsen sent the penalty into the bottom right corner. Stefan Thordarson could not carry on after a clash in midfield, and Hordur Magnusson replaced him in the 8th minute. In the 21st minute Magnusson played a long diagonal pass to Oskarsson, who broke clear of the defence and beat goalkeeper Daniel Naumov from close range with a shot into the left corner. It was 2-0.

Bulgaria's defence looked very weak after the break too. In the 53rd minute Tsenov tried to cut out a cross from the right but put the ball into his own net, and Naumov had no chance. In the 68th minute Hakon Haraldsson passed through the centre of the defence to the completely unmarked Gudjohnsen, who made it 4-0. He scored the fifth goal in the 79th minute. After an attack down the left and a sharp low pass into the penalty area, Naumov pushed the ball away, but after a scramble it reached the unmarked Gudjohnsen.

The Icelanders also hit the woodwork twice. In the 34th minute Logi Thomasson, left unmarked, hit the bar with a volley from a cross from the right. The second came in the 72nd minute, at 4-0.

Bulgaria created a few chances. In the 5th minute Georgi Rusev, a striker with CSKA 1948, shot from the centre of the pitch after seeing the Icelandic goalkeeper off his line. Lukas Petkov broke down the right in the 29th minute and passed to Atanas Iliev in front of goal, but Iliev failed to hit the ball cleanly and it went out. Soon after, Iliya Gruev shot from a good position but missed the target. In the 42nd minute Iliev tried a shot from the edge of the penalty area, the ball deflected off an Icelandic defender and Bulgaria won a corner. In the 60th minute Iliev hit a weak shot and goalkeeper Hakon Valdimarsson caught it easily.

Ivaylo Chochev replaced Rusev in the 62nd minute, and Georgi Lazarov came on for Iliev in the 63rd.

About 500 spectators watched the match. Before kick-off the stadium held a minute's silence for the 13 people killed in the crash on the Trakia motorway. Fans chanted "Resign" right after the third goal and again after the final whistle.

Bulgarian Football Union president Georgi Ivanov, vice-president Atanas Furnadzhiev, Professional Football League president Atanas Karaivanov and Golden Ball winner Hristo Stoichkov watched from the stands.