Nations League: Bulgaria pitch during Northern Ireland defeat was unacceptable, says Michael O’Neill

Northern Ireland manager Michael O’Neill said the playing surface at the Stadion Hristo Botev was the worst he had seen “in a long time” after his team were beaten 1-0 by Bulgaria in the Nations League.

The only goal of the League C match came in the 40th minute when visiting goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell missed a pass, leading to a tap-in for Bulgarian captain Kiril Despodov.

In a match with few chances, the pitch in Plovdiv seemed to make it difficult for both sides to move the ball.

When asked if the surface was suitable for international football, O’Neill replied ‘no’.

He added: “It’s not an excuse, because that goes for the Bulgarian players too, but this is the worst pitch we’ve had in a long time.

“It didn’t help either team and probably led to a physical game and made life difficult for the referee. Challenges seemed mistimed and there were probably too many yellow cards for challenges that were a result of the pitch as much as anything else.”