SCHAAN – In the third and final game of the European Championship qualification tournament in Serbia, Liechtenstein’s U17 national team had to admit defeat to group winners Bulgaria 5-0.
The starting position before the final group game was not an easy one for the Liechtenstein U17s. Because Bulgaria was the opponent who won the first two group games against Serbia and Croatia. And despite this clear starting position, coach Michael Koller’s team got off to a good start in the game against the Eastern Europeans. But Bulgaria was able to celebrate the first goal in the ninth minute. With a bit of luck, Kirev’s shot found its way between two Liechtenstein defenders and then landed in the goal with a deflection. The LFV youngsters continued to concentrate, but the Bulgarians were smarter and increased to 3-0 before half-time with a goal from Stoyanov and another goal from Kirev.
Bulgaria and Serbia rise
After the break, the good basic order of the Liechtenstein team was not lost despite two half-time changes. The colleagues from Bulgaria found their way to the goal of the LFV players every now and then. Only a converted penalty by Marinov increases the score to 4: 0 for Bulgaria after an hour of play. The final point was achieved by group winners Bulgaria, who did not concede a goal in the entire tournament, through Kirev in the 73rd minute, who produced the 0: 5 final result. This means that the Bulgarians will take part in the elite round in spring 2022 together with the runners-up, hosts Serbia defeated Croatia 1-0 in the parallel game.
Pulled together
Coach Michael Koller still praised his players for their commitment despite the three defeats: “Of course there are different worlds in which we move compared to the other nations. All three opponents were very strong at the tournament. But our players still pulled together. The cohesion in the team and also in the support team is exemplary. In the end, we were certainly missing something in the last game today, and the goals we conceded were annoying, but the result is absolutely okay. “