Some post-match interviews:
That’s all from me for tonight, good night!
Here is Gavin Cummiskey’s match report:
[ Clinical Ireland secure rare victory on the road in BulgariaOpens in new window ]
Hallgrimsson on RTÉ: We were happy at half-time, we can do a bit better than second half. Looking forward to go to Dublin and playing them at home. It was the plan to play them in behind and play crosses. The fans were amazing there.”
On Doherty: “Really brave and a good goal. It was his 49th cap, he might get his 50th after that. Knight is suspended for the next game. We know it’s a two-legged game. Game management we got too passive in the second half. We should be more brave, building up in the second half.”
Full-time: Bulgaria 1 Ireland 2
Ireland beat Bulgaria away from home! It was a scrappy second half but they got the result they wanted. Good first half performance was deserving of the win. Job done in the first leg, sets it up for the second leg to win and stay up in League B.
90+4 mins: Poor play on the counter by Vata, lacks composure to play in Ferguson. But then intercepted back by Cullen, who has been good tonight. Vata then has another chance but is wasteful again, this time takes too much out of it.
Ball is flicked on for one last chance for Bulgaria but Kraev’s shot is wild and goes out for a throw-in. Minkov should be sent off for an awful challenge on Vata, but gets a yellow.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 2
90 mins: Finn Azaz is chosen as man of the match. Five minutes of stoppage time.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 2
89 mins: Terrible free-kick from Robbie Brady from the edge of the box over everyone, usually much better than he has been this game from set pieces.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 2
86 mins: Good play by Sykes on the wing, great first touch and then interplay with Vata to win a free-kick on the wing. Brady’s free-kick is collected by the keeper.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 2
83 mins: Yellow card for Vata with his first interaction in the match. Bulgaria sub Minkov breaks through on the wing and almost cuts it back for a good chance but dealt with by Ireland.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 2
80 mins: Manning has been great at winning free-kicks in this half, but neither side have created much this half. It’s Manning’s last action as O’Brien comes off the bench, while Vata comes on for Knight.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 2
74 mins: Handball by Knight gives Bulgaria a dangerous free-kick. Despodov’s delivery is good but Doherty holds off Kraev at the back post and wins a free out.
Good tackle by Cullen and he plays in Johnston who beats his man and wins a corner. From it, Doherty has a half-chance at the back post but can’t get it across the goal.
Subs for Ireland, Taylor for Azaz, Ferguson for Parrott, Sykes for Johnston.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 2
71 mins: Good spell for Bulgaria as they put on pressure for Bulgaria but Ireland’s defence standing up strong getting in some good blocks.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 2
67 mins: Another stoppage as Nuernberger goes down for treatment. Manning buys two fouls on Kraev to continue the stop-start nature of the half.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 2
64 mins: A fractured half of yellow cards, fouls and injuries, O’Shea gets a bang, Atanasov crashes into O’Shea in the box aerially, could have been a penalty? Both go down anyway.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 2
61 mins: Yellow card for Kraev after a late challenge on Knight. Free-kick in a dangerous area, but Bulgaria deal with it well. Atanasov then gets booked. Then Knight gets a yellow himself a minute or two later. Referee is card-happy.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 2
58 mins: Johnston wins a free out after a clumsy touch from Krastev. Brady still with blood so comes off the pitch again, despite wanting to come back on. Brady takes a throw though with his nose stuffed, he’s going to soldier on.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 2
53 mins: Yellow card for Johnston who turned the defender but used his arm and catches the face of Nuernberger. A nasty bang for Brady from an aerial challenge, he receives treatment.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 2
49 mins: A yellow card for Azaz for catching a Bulgarian player with a flailing arm. Good pressing from Ireland wins a throw-in in an attacking position as the new goalkeeper makes a sloppy pass.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 2
Goalkeeper being changed for the second half for Bulgaria, Mitov off for Iliev, after the collision with Matt Doherty.
Half-time: Bulgaria 1 Ireland 2
Good performance by Ireland, well deserving of their lead. The front two axis of Parrott and Azaz in particular have been very promising. Win is there for the taking against what looks like a mediocre Bulgaria team.
42 mins: GOAL FOR IRELAND! Doherty scores on his return to the Ireland starting line-up. Darting run into the box after a super long pass by Cullen, Doherty beats the goalkeeper to it and gets a bang for his troubles. Brave play and gets his reward.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 2
38 mins: Another chance for Ireland, Brady with a shot at the edge of the box but well blocked. Was a fine pick out by Parrott, who has been on song this game so far.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 1
35 mins: Oh decent chance for Ireland. Quick free-kick by Azaz after good movement by Parrott, clever play and just drags past the post with Collins piling in at the back post, but couldn’t get a touch.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 1
33 mins: Bulgaria sloppy in possession at the back, the pitch is cutting up plenty, and it nearly falls in behind for Johnston but last ditch defending by Bulgaria to knock it out for a corner. Brady’s corner is cleared out, Johnston loses the ball after the corner and Bulgaria pour forward. Despodov goes down in the box, but he handled the ball before the tackle, luckily for Ireland.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 1
30 mins: Another super first-time pass by Azaz to the wing opens the game up on the wing but Bulgaria clear it. Bulgaria dangerous then on the counter but Collins blocks well from Petkov.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 1
26 mins: Been plenty of action in this game after many predictions of a cagey encounter. Home crowd getting louder in Plovdiv as Ireland have a spell of possession.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 1
21 mins: GOAL FOR IRELAND! Finn Azaz after an assist from Troy Parrott. Good ball to the back post from Brady, Parrott knocks it back and finds the keeper in no-man’s land for Azaz to finish easily.
Before, Johnston had shown a lively piece of play to win a free-kick with a good dribble. That’s more like it!
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 1
18 mins: Manning with another chance from a header, another good cross from Azaz. This time far more powerfully, but well over the bar.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 0
13 mins: Captain Despodov has been threatening so far and he takes a shot from the edge of the box but it’s straight at Kelleher.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 0
10 mins: Bad start for Ireland, conceding with Bulgaria’s first chance, too easy to break down. But still plenty of time on the clock to make things happen.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 0
6 mins: Chance for Ireland! Azaz puts in a fine cross to the back post to Manning but it’s a weak header at the keeper.
Then Goal for Bulgaria! Superb flair play by Bulgaria, great interplay, Despodov with a nice dink up, then Krastev backheels to Marin Plamenov Petkov who finishes well off the post from outside the box. Disappointing for Ireland, could have defended better but it’s a well-taken goal.
Bulgaria 1 Ireland 0
2 mins: Good hold-up play by Parrott early on and Johnston swivels with a good touch as Ireland recycle the ball. O’Shea tries to play Johnston in behind but plays it out.
Then Collins plays a superb long ball to Brady who chases it down the byline and slips into Manning on the edge of the box, his cross is poor into the keeper’s hands though.
Bulgaria 0 Ireland 0
The teams are coming out on the pitch with the national anthems to come.
From the way they were set up in the warm-ups, could be Ryan Manning on the wing, with Brady at the back.
Here is Gavin Cummiskey’s match preview:
“A tactically solid collective is precisely what the Icelander wants Ireland to become to avoid relegation from Nations League B prior to a World Cup qualification campaign that begins when Hungary come to Dublin on September 6th.”
You’d have to say Jake O’Brien is unlucky to miss out there given his form for Everton, been one of the best Irish performers in the Premier League. Parrott’s good form for AZ Alkmaar sees him rewarded with a spot up front over Evan Ferguson, who is struggling for game time. Bit of a leftfield choice, in more ways than one, to pick Ryan Manning and Robbie Brady on the left side, Brady more usually a left-back these days, as is Manning. Mikey Johnston is always a good watch on the wing, while Azaz’s good form for Boro sees him keep his place.
The team is out!
Ireland: Kelleher; Doherty, Collins, O’Shea, Manning; Cullen, Knight; Johnston, Azaz, Brady; Parrott.
Bulgaria: Mitov; Popov, Atanasov, Petkov, Nuernberger; Despodov, Krastev, Gruev, Petkov; Kraev, Petkov.
What is at stake in Ireland’s Nations League playoff against Bulgaria?
So, what’s the deal with us playing Bulgaria on Thursday and Sunday?
Well, this time around a third-place League B group finish sent you in to a promotion/relegation playoff with a League C runner-up – and Bulgaria came out of the hat in the draw. They finished second to Northern Ireland in their group, while we were a distant third behind England and Greece. Bottom nation Finland, who we beat home and away, were automatically relegated to League C.
If we lose to Bulgaria over the two legs, they take our League B place, then?
Exactly. And we would drop down to League C for the first time, where we’d be mixing it with the likes of San Marino, the Faroe Islands and Moldova (no offence) in the 2026-27 competition, which starts in the autumn of next year.
Hello and welcome to live coverage of Ireland’s Nations League promotion/relegation playoff against Bulgaria, from the Hristo Bolev Stadium in Plovdiv. Kick-off is at 7.45pm. Ireland finished third in their League B group behind England and Greece so must face a playoff to avoid falling into League C. Bulgaria are the opposition, who aren’t the behemoths that they were in the 1990s in Hristo Stoichkov’s day, but you could say the same about Ireland given our recent record. Avoiding defeat is crucial in the first leg to give Heimir Hallgrímsson’s men the best chance of winning the tie in the second leg in Dublin, and staying in League B for the following season.
The starting line-ups will follow when they are available.
Republic of Ireland Squad
Goalkeepers: Caoimhín Kelleher (Liverpool), Mark Travers (Middlesbrough, on loan from AFC Bournemouth), Gavin Bazunu (Standard Liége, on loan from Southampton).
Defenders: Jake O’Brien (Everton), Matt Doherty (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Nathan Collins (Brentford), Dara O’Shea (Ipswich Town), Jimmy Dunne (Queens Park Rangers), James Abankwah (Watford, on loan from Udinese), Robbie Brady (Preston North End), Ryan Manning (Southampton).
Midfielders: Josh Cullen (Burnley), Jason Knight (Bristol City), Jack Taylor (Ipswich Town), Mark Sykes (Bristol City), Finn Azaz (Middlesbrough), Andrew Moran (Stoke City, on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion).
Attackers: Evan Ferguson (West Ham United, on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion), Adam Idah (Celtic), Troy Parrott (AZ Alkmaar), Sinclair Armstrong (Bristol City), Mikey Johnston (West Bromwich Albion), Rocco Vata (Watford).
