Bulgaria beat Belarus to earn promotion to League B

Bulgaria secured a 2-1 win over Belarus in their final UEFA Nations League match, earning their promotion to League B in the process.

In front of a sold out Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia, the home side took the lead through Kiril Despodov just eight minutes.

The home side had to withstand Belarus pressure, with Andrei Solovei testing goalkeeper Plamen Iliev, before doubling their lead midway through the second half through Ivaylo Chochev.

Match Highlights

• Bulgaria took the lead through Kiril Despodov after just eight minutes.
• The home side doubled their lead midway through the second half through Ivaylo Chochev.
• Belarus pulled one back, but Bulgaria held on to the win.

The win means Bulgaria finish top of Group C4, with 13 points from their six matches. They will now play in League B in the next edition of the UEFA Nations League.

Belarus, meanwhile, finish bottom of the group with just three points and will now play in League C in the next edition of the UEFA Nations League.

"We are very happy with the win and the promotion to League B," said Bulgaria coach Yasen Petrov. "We played well today and deserved to win."

"We are disappointed with the result, but we will learn from this experience and come back stronger next time," said Belarus coach Mikhail Markhel.

The UEFA Nations League is a new competition for European national teams, which was launched in 2018. The competition is designed to replace international friendlies and provide more competitive matches for teams. The competition is divided into four leagues, with teams promoted and relegated between the leagues based on their performance.