Ireland were able to survive a scare in their Nations League second leg playoff against Bulgaria, as they avoided relegation following a 4-2 aggregate win. Watch the full Ireland vs Bulgaria highlights here.
Ireland survive Nations League scare
After a narrow escape in Bulgaria at the end of last week, Ireland only needed a win or a draw in the second leg to keep their place in the Nations League group B.
The game started off shaky for the boys in green who came under pressure early, as Valentin Antov was able to find the back of the net despite a wall of Irish defenders in front of him in the box.
Although they were behind early courtesy of the Bulgarian defender’s strike, the hosts were in control throughout the first half and they never looked panicked with the scores level on aggregate at the break.
It took just over 15 minutes in the second half for Ireland to break the deadlock and their deserved equaliser came from Evan Ferguson, who had been introduced into the starting XI this week after impressing off the bench in the first leg.
The West Ham striker exchanged a quick pass with Finn Azaz on the edge of the box and when the ball returned to him, Ferguson expertly lifted a shot past Plamen Iliev to put Ireland ahead in the tie.
After the 20-year-old’s strike Ireland didn’t slow down and they kept pushing to put the playoff to bed.
The hosts were finally rewarded with a well earned second goal just five minutes before full time and a smart finish from Adam Idah will do the Celtic striker the world of good going forward.
Idah did well to nip in behind the Bulgaria defence and a volley at the back post from close range settled the game once and for all.
FT | League B status retained! pic.twitter.com/9HCqWcdyjz
— Ireland Football ⚽️🇮🇪 (@IrelandFootball) March 23, 2025
A loss would have been disastrous for Ireland, who would have dropped down to Nations League group C should they have slipped up to Bulgaria after the two legs.
The hosts were able to hold off their opponents in the promotion game though and Bulgaria will remain in group C despite a strong effort across the two legs.
There is no more international breaks for Ireland until the summer, when they will face Senegal and Luxembourg in two international friendlies.
