Mistrovství světa - kvalifikace FIFA - Mistrovství světa - kvalifikace 2026

Crusaders leave Bulgaria with no fighting cause James Hilsum, 07.09.2025 16:54 Georgia claimed their first 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier (WCQ) win with a convincing 3-0 victory over Bulgaria, who are now winless in their last seven matches (D2, L5). Marin Petkov had an early sighter for Bulgaria when his close-range effort was kept out by Giorgi Mamardashvili, but this seemed to spark the hosts into action, as chances fell to both Giorgi Kochorashvili and Otar Kakabadze. Khvicha Kvaratskhelia then looked to sprinkle his signature stardust on this contest, and almost delivered after powering his way into a central position before firing just wide of the post. But it did not take long for the Paris Saint-Germain maestro to make an impact, breaking the deadlock on the half-hour mark after reacting to a sloppy backpass and saw his subsequent strike squirm through Svetoslav Vutsov’s grasp. Georges Mikautadze was then inches away from adding a second when he latched onto Irakli Azarovi's acrobatic cut-back, but fired agonisingly wide from inside the six-yard box. Despite the frustration from that miss, the Crusaders only continued to probe deeply, and doubled their lead with HT approaching, when Nika Gagnidze clinically slotted home his first Georgia goal from Zuriko Davitashvili's sumptuous assist. That capped off a commanding first-half display from Willy Sagnol’s side, and their momentum only continued after the break - albeit with slightly less intensity. Georgia’s easing off might have given Bulgaria some faint hope of a comeback, but that was effectively extinguished after Mikautadze provided a delightful dinked finish over Vutsov, who spilled Giorgi Kochorashvili’s initial effort inside the box. The game was now over as a contest, although there was a rare moment of encouragement for the Lions when Anton Nedyalkov picked out Petkov in space on the edge of the box, but the latter failed to find the target. The importance of these three points for Georgia cannot be understated, ahead of daunting trips to reigning European champions Spain and Turkey next month. Meanwhile, Bulgaria's hopes of reaching a first World Cup since 1998 appear fanciful based on the evidence of today's performance, ahead of hosting Turkey and travelling to Spain in October.