The Bulgarian national team U17 recorded its first win in Group B2 of the European qualifiers, after winning 1:0 over Malta.
Svetoslav Petrov's "Lions" collected 4 points from their first two matches and tied with Lithuania at the top of the standings, with the Lithuanians having the advantage only due to a better goal difference. Azerbaijan is third with 2 points, and Malta remains without an asset.
The Bulgarian team started more actively and created several chances right from the start. Nikolay Popov and Maximilian Lazarov were close to opening the score, and Yastiyan Georgiev also tried his luck from distance.
The logical thing happened in the 33rd minute, when the "tricolors" took the lead. After a cross from a corner, Georgiev headed the ball, the ball bounced off the post, and Andrey Grozdanov was the most resourceful and sent it into the net for 1:0.
After the break, Malta tried to respond, but goalkeeper Alek Zdravkov intervened decisively in a dangerous shot. Bulgaria also had chances to double, but Grozdanov, Popov and Ernan Angelov failed to score.
Ultimately, the only goal proved to be enough for the success, which puts the Bulgarian team in an excellent position before the last match in the group.
In it, Svetoslav Petrov's students will face Lithuania in a direct clash for first place. The match is on March 30 at 1:00 PM in Pazardzhik.