Bulgarian Football Union technical director Kiril Kotev gave BTA his assessment of the national team's heavy 0:5 defeat by Iceland on Friday evening at Hristo Botev Stadium in Plovdiv. The match from the fifth round of Group C/4 in the UEFA Nations League effectively ended the Bulgarian team's hopes of fighting for promotion to League B or at least securing a place in the playoffs. At the same time, Luxembourg and Estonia faced each other, with the Baltic side winning 1:0. Thus, Monday's away match in Tallinn is important for the hosts' position in the standings, as they sit second with 9 points, while Iceland have 11. Bulgaria are third with 4 points and will hope at least to retain that position.
“An embarrassing result—we apologize to all of Bulgaria, which does not deserve to see its national team in such a state. We made far too many easy and unforced mistakes, which our opponents punished. Unfortunately, we lowered our guard, and when the opposition outplays you in every aspect of the game, a thrashing is the result,” Kotev said.
He expressed hope that on Monday against Estonia in Tallinn, the players would show a completely different face. “Look, as of today, these are the best Bulgarian footballers available to us. We select the best from the clubs. That is why I hope that in the upcoming match against Estonia, these players will perform in a radically different manner and, above all, defend Bulgaria's honor,” the BFS technical director concluded.