Bulgaria on brink of first finals

Bulgaria moved within a point of earning a place in the finals of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship as first-half goals from Mihail Aleksandrov and Ismail Mustafa secured a victory against Norway that keeps them top of Group 3 in the Elite round.

Second success
Having opened their campaign with a 1-0 win against Israel on Sunday, Mihail Madanski's side were full of confidence going into their second game at the Lisleby Stadium in Fredrikstad and duly seized the iniative in the 28th minute, Aleksandrov converting a penalty. Although mini-tournament hosts Norway pressed for an equaliser, Mustafa doubled Bulgaria's advantage six minutes before the interval and Norway's elimination was confirmed two minutes into added time at the end of the first period as Andreas Andersen was shown a red card for a foul. Bulgaria are now level with their Matchday 3 opponents Iceland at the top of the standings although their superior goal difference means they will need just a point when the teams meet on Friday to earn a debut finals campaign.