Bulgaria U21 produced one of the surprises of the UEFA Under-21 Championship qualification campaign as they came from behind to beat group leaders Portugal U21 2-1 in Group Stage - 18 on Thursday evening. The hosts had trailed until the closing stages before finding two goals in quick succession to turn what looked like a routine away victory for the visitors into a memorable win for the home side.
Portugal took the lead in the 50th minute through G. Varela, who finished off what looked to be a well-worked move. The visitors had been the brighter side for much of the first half, though Bulgaria's defensiveorganisation kept them at bay. Two yellow cards for the home side — R. Bozhinov in the 26th minute and T. Marinov just before half-time — suggested the pressure was building.
And here's the thing about comebacks: they rarely happen without a shift in momentum. Bulgaria brought on A. Mitkov in the 59th minute and the change seemed to galvanise the home side. D. Yordanov equalised in the 87th minute, catching Portugal off-guard as the visitors appeared to be settling for a draw. Three minutes later, A. Marinov headed in what proved to be the winner, sending the home crowd into raptures.
The substitutions tell an interesting story. Portugal made four changes around the 73rd minute, bringing on S. Stoyanchov and M. De Amorim alongside C. Forbs and D. Banjaqui. But by then Bulgaria had already found their second goal. The Portuguese manager added G. Quenda in the 88th minute, but it was too little, too late. N. Iliev picked up a late yellow card for the hosts as emotions ran high.
By then, the table picture had shifted dramatically. Portugal remain top with 19 points from seven games, their unbeaten record intact, but the margin over Bulgaria has tightened. The Bulgarians move to 11 points and third place, though they have played the same number of games. This result extends Bulgaria's recent good form — they had won three of their last five — while ending Portugal's run of dominant performances.
