Luxembourg started its participation in the Nations League with a victory, after defeating Bulgaria 2-1 at the “Hristo Botev“ stadium in Plovdiv. The hosts took the lead through Assen Chandarov in the 18th minute, but Leandro Barreiro equalized in the 37th, and Vincent Till brought the visitors success in the 67th minute.
This is Luxembourg's first victory against Bulgaria. Before the match, the rivals had 17 meetings, in which the Bulgarian team had recorded 14 successes and three matches had ended in a draw. International coverage described the result as historic for Luxembourg, while in Bulgaria the defeat was greeted as a heavy blow to the national team.
How Luxembourg reacted
RTL Today focused on the character of the visitors, who did not break after Bulgaria's early goal and achieved a complete turnaround. The media described Barreiro's goal as Luxembourg's return to the match, and Till's goal as a decisive moment on the way to the first points in the tournament.
In the preliminary commentary on RTL Luxembourg, coach Jeff Strasser had set a clear goal for the team: “We want a team that goes out on the pitch to win.“ After the victory in Plovdiv, this position received practical confirmation in the first match of the new campaign.
The match itself had additional value for Luxembourg, as the previous two matches with Bulgaria in 2024 did not bring a goal for the “Red Lions” – 0:0 in Plovdiv and a 0:1 loss at home. This time the team scored twice and broke the Bulgarians' long-standing head-to-head dominance.
What the international media are saying
The Romanian GSP described the loss as a historic setback for Bulgaria and noted that it came at home after the national team had taken the lead. In international publications, the main emphasis is on the contrast between the hosts' early advantage and Luxembourg's better use of opportunities.
The success gave Luxembourg three points in Group C4. The team's next match is a home match against Iceland on September 29, and on October 6, another match with Bulgaria is scheduled, this time in Luxembourg.
Sources: RTL Luxembourg, RTL Today