1-0 v Bulgaria – U21s keep Netherlands under pressure thanks to lucky win – Sport

• The Swiss U21 national team won 1-0 against Bulgaria in the European Championship qualifier.
• Fabian Rieder’s decisive goal in Lugano counts despite being ruled offside.
• With this, Switzerland is putting the Netherlands under further pressure in the fight for direct qualification for the EM 2023.

As in the first duel with Bulgaria in autumn, the Swiss U21 national team won 1-0 on Saturday. This time, however, in addition to the narrow victory, Fabian Rieder’s decisive goal in Lugano shouldn’t have counted.

In the 56th minute, the home team was allowed to take a corner kick. After a rehearsed variation, the Bulgarian goalie Damyan Hristov made a first save and a second save, but was powerless when the Swiss ranks took the third shot. Rieder was able to net from a short distance from the baseline.

However, the repetition showed that the YB actor had been offside. Because the officials didn’t see this and there is no VAR in the U21 European Championship qualifier, the Swiss were still allowed to celebrate.

The leadership of Mauro Lustrinelli’s team was not undeserved. In the first half, both teams had acted pale. Fouls, mistakes and half-chances alternated until just before the break. But then the Swiss turned up the heat: in the 37th minute, Dan Ndoye hit the post after a promising push and thus opened up a Swiss pressure phase. Up until half-time, Kastriot Imeri, Rieder and Imeri again missed opportunities to take the lead.

Unruly Bulgarians

In the second half, the home team was able to keep up the pressure and, thanks to Rieder, finally rewarded themselves – albeit with luck – with the 1:0. A little later, Ndoye, who was the best man on the field next to the scorer, missed a top chance: unchallenged in the penalty area, he put a ball over the goal.

The Bulgarians presented themselves as defiant, stubborn opponents and also created chances of their own. However, there were no 100 percent among them and the equalizer did not fall. The U21s were thus able to celebrate their seventh win in the ninth qualifying game for the 2023 European Championships in Romania and Georgia. In the meantime, the Netherlands have been overtaken in the table again and are in first place – only this entitles them to qualify directly.

However, the rivals have played a game in hand and would have to fail again in their last two games against football midgets Gibraltar and Wales to definitely drop back to second place.

Here’s how to proceed

Next Wednesday, Switzerland’s last qualifying game will take place away in Moldova (from 5:50 p.m. live on SRF). The Netherlands only play their final game three days later.

In addition to the group winners, the best of the nine runners-up also qualifies directly. Something is also possible for Switzerland along this path. What is certain is that, in the worst case, she will play against another group runner-up in the playoffs for an EM ticket.