Bulgaria v Republic of Ireland, 20 March 2025
| Score | 2-1 to Republic of Ireland |
| Referee | Benoît Bastien |
| Competition | UEFA Nations League Play-off 1st leg |
| Venue | Stadion Hristo Botev, Plovdiv |
| Attendance | 7,835 |
View Bulgaria v Republic of Ireland head to head
Kick-off: 9.45pm local
1
Bulgaria
Manager: Ilian Iliev
Goals:
| Marin Petkov | 6 |
|
Starting lineup:
Goalkeeper
Dimitar Mitov
Defender
Zhivko Atanasov
Defender
Anton Nedyalkov
Defender
Alex Petkov
Defender/Midfielder
Fabian Nürnberger
Midfielder
Ilia Gruev
Midfielder
Filip Krastev
Midfielder/Forward
Kiril Despodov
(captain)
Midfielder/Forward
Andrian Kraev
Midfielder/Forward
Marin Petkov
Forward
Lukas Petkov
Substitutions:
| Plamen Iliev for Dimitar Mitov | 46 |
| Bozhidar Kraev for Lukas Petkov | 72 |
| Nikolay Minkov for Fabian Nürnberger | 72 |
| Ilian Iliev for Filip Krastev | 86 |
| Vladimir Nikolov for Andrian Kraev | 86 |
Cards:
| Andrian Kraev | 59 | Y |
| Zhivko Atanasov | 61 | Y |
| Anton Nedyalkov | 85 | Y |
| Nikolay Minkov | 90+5 | Y |
On the bench:
Goalkeeper
Plamen Iliev
Goalkeeper
Dimitar Sheytanov
Defender
Valentin Antov
Defender/Midfielder
Nikolay Minkov
Defender/Midfielder
Simeon Petrov
Midfielder
Ilian Iliev
Midfielder
Vasil Panayotov
Midfielder
Stanislav Shopov
Midfielder/Forward
Bozhidar Kraev
Forward
Radoslav Kirilov
Forward
Vladimir Nikolov
Comments:
Bulgaria named 11 of a possible 12 substitutes.
2
Republic of Ireland
Manager: Heimir Hallgrímsson
Goals:
| Finn Azaz | 21 |
|
|
| Matt Doherty | 42 |
|
Starting lineup:
Caoimhin Kelleher
Goalkeeper
Nathan Collins
Defender
(captain)
Matt Doherty
Defender
Dara O'Shea
Defender
Robbie Brady
Defender/Midfielder
Finn Azaz
Midfielder
Josh Cullen
Midfielder
Jason Knight
Midfielder
Ryan Manning
Midfielder
Mikey Johnston
Midfielder/Forward
Troy Parrott
Forward
Substitutions:
| Evan Ferguson for Troy Parrott | 76 |
| Mark Sykes for Mikey Johnston | 76 |
| Jack Taylor for Finn Azaz | 76 |
| Jake O'Brien for Ryan Manning | 79 |
| Rocco Vata for Jason Knight | 79 |
Cards:
| Finn Azaz | 47 | Y |
| Mikey Johnston | 51 | Y |
| Jason Knight | 61 | Y |
| Rocco Vata | 81 | Y |
On the bench:
Goalkeeper
Gavin Bazunu
Goalkeeper
Mark Travers
Defender
James Abankwah
Defender
Jimmy Dunne
Defender
Jake O'Brien
Defender/Midfielder
Jack Taylor
Midfielder
Mark Sykes
Midfielder
Rocco Vata
Midfielder/Forward
Evan Ferguson
Midfielder/Forward
Andy Moran
Forward
Sinclair Armstrong
Forward
Adam Idah