Plovdiv, June 7 — Bulgaria’s national football team settled for a 2–2 draw against Cyprus at Hristo Botev Stadium in Plovdiv on Friday evening, in their penultimate friendly before the start of the 2025 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Despite twice taking the lead through striker Aleksandar Kolev, the home side was unable to maintain their advantage, highlighting lingering defensive concerns.
The friendly fixture marked a significant personal milestone for Kolev, who scored his first two goals for the national side in what was his 12th international appearance.
His clinical finishing raised hopes for a much-needed attacking spark ahead of the qualifiers, but defensive lapses allowed the Cypriots to claw back into the match on both occasions.
Kolev opened the scoring in the 18th minute, converting a precise cross from Ilia Gruev with a firm header into the bottom corner.
Bulgaria looked composed in possession during the opening spell, but Cyprus equalised in the 37th minute through Pieros Sotiriou, who capitalised on a defensive error by Ivan Turitsov to slot home from close range.
The second half followed a similar script. Kolev struck again in the 52nd minute, this time with a powerful strike from the edge of the box after a clever lay-off by captain Kiril Despodov.
But Cyprus responded swiftly, equalising just nine minutes later through Marinos Tzionis, who pounced on a rebound after goalkeeper Daniel Naumov failed to gather a long-range effort.
For head coach Ilian Iliev, this was his 15th match in charge of the national team. The draw brings his record to 3 wins, 9 draws, and 3 losses—a mixed bag that continues to raise questions about Bulgaria’s ability to close out matches under pressure.
“We showed good energy in the final third and Kolev’s performance is a big positive,” Iliev told reporters post-match. “But we must fix the lapses in concentration at the back if we want to compete at the highest level.”
Statistically, the result marked only the second draw between Bulgaria and Cyprus in 16 meetings. Bulgaria has a dominant record over the Mediterranean side, winning 13 of the previous fixtures, with Cyprus managing just one win in the history of their encounters.
The team will now turn its attention to their final warm-up match against Greece, scheduled for June 9 in Heraklion, Crete.
Defender Kristian Dimitrov will not be part of the squad for that game after sustaining a hamstring injury in training. He will be replaced by Rosen Bozhinov, who earns a recall to the national setup after a strong season with Botev Vratsa.
With World Cup qualifiers looming, Bulgaria’s technical staff faces a race against time to tighten the team’s defensive setup and build on the attacking momentum provided by Kolev’s breakthrough.
The match against Greece will offer one final chance to test the squad’s readiness before the road to the World Cup begins.