Bulgaria 1-0 Northern Ireland: 'A lot to learn' as NI not pitch perfect in Nations League

Ian Baraclough's side lose in Bulgaria on Nations League return

Northern Ireland began their Nations League campaign with a 1-0 defeat to Bulgaria in Razgrad on Thursday evening.

Kiril Despodov’s second-half strike condemned Ian Baraclough’s men to a narrow loss

Kiril Despodov’s second-half strike condemned Ian Baraclough’s men to a narrow loss in Razgrad, as the visitors failed to find their best form in their Nations League opener.

Despite a bright start from Northern Ireland, it was Bulgaria who took the lead in the 57th minute when Despodov fired home from close range following a cross from the right.

Northern Ireland almost leveled through Conor Washington late on, but his effort came back off the crossbar.

Baraclough: 'A lot to learn'

Speaking after the game, Baraclough said: "There's a lot to learn. We didn't play with enough quality in the final third. We had a lot of possession but we didn't create enough clear-cut chances."

Northern Ireland will be looking to bounce back when they host Greece in Belfast on Sunday.

Match report

Northern Ireland started the game brightly and had the first chance of the match when Josh Magennis headed wide from a Conor Bradley cross.

Bulgaria grew into the game and started to create chances of their own, with Despodov and Martin Minchev both going close.

The deadlock was broken in the 57th minute when Despodov fired home from close range following a cross from the right.

Northern Ireland almost leveled through Washington late on, but his effort came back off the crossbar.

Baraclough made a number of changes in the second half, but Northern Ireland were unable to find an equalizer.

Reaction

Baraclough said: "There's a lot to learn. We didn't play with enough quality in the final third. We had a lot of possession but we didn't create enough clear-cut chances."

Bulgaria coach Yasen Petrov said: "I'm very happy with the performance of my team. We played very well and deserved to win."

What's next?

Northern Ireland will be looking to bounce back when they host Greece in Belfast on Sunday.

Bulgaria will be away to Cyprus on the same day.