There are less than 15 minutes left in the game. The Spanish team continues to have possession of the ball as they try to increase their lead. Bulgaria has had two clear chances in the game, but failed to capitalize on them.
Spain is closing in! The home team is looking for a third goal, and Pablo Barrios has come on to cause havoc. He takes a shot from mid-range, aiming to place the ball in the left corner, but it goes just wide of the post. The score remains 2-0.
Several substitutions are now being made. In Spain, Pablo Barrios has come on for Pedri. Meanwhile, in Bulgaria, Zdravko Dimitrov, Marin Petkov, and Vladimir Nikolov have come on to replace Kiril Despodov, Martin Minchev, and Radoslav Kirilov.
Two new substitutions are made in the Spanish national team. Luis De La Fuente has decided to make two changes and sends Yeremy Pino and Aleix García onto the pitch to replace Álex Baena and Martin Zubimendi.
BULGARIA MISSED IT! Another chance wasted by Kiril Despodov. Just like in the first half, after receiving a pass behind the visiting team’s defense, this time he was able to shoot low across goal, but it went wide to the right. It was the goal to pull one back.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! GOOOOOAL! Goal for Spain! Mikel Merino scores again! The Arsenal player reappears in the box to score Spain’s second goal with the same aerial play, striking the ball after a cross from Alejandro Grimaldo from the left.
SPAIN HAD ANOTHER CHANCE! It’s unbelievable that the home team still hasn’t scored. Once again, the ball reached Borja Iglesias, this time from a cross sent in from the left, but the ball grazed the right post. It was the second goal.
SPAIN HAD IT! Another great save by Svetoslav Vutsov to prevent the home team from scoring their second goal. Borja Iglesias had another chance, continuing to try to break through the Bulgarian goalkeeper’s defense. The score remains 1-0.
Spain came close. The home team tried to score with a shot from Borja Iglesias, aiming for the left post, but goalkeeper Svetoslav Vutsov caught the low shot. Luis De La Fuente’s team is starting to make its presence felt.
The first few minutes of the second half of this match are underway. The Spanish team is maintaining the initiative, constantly attacking and looking to increase their lead. So far, not much has happened in the opening moments after the restart.
THE MATCH RESUMES! The referee blows his whistle and orders the ball to be moved again, kicking off the second half. There has been a substitution for Spain, with Borja Iglesias replacing Samu Aghehowa.
FINAL! The first half ends at the José Zorrilla Stadium. The referee has blown the whistle to send the teams into the break after a first half that went from low to high intensity. No stoppage time was needed. Spain leads 1-0 at the moment.
BULGARIA HAD IT! Kiril Despodov missed it after receiving a pass behind the visiting team’s defenders. However, he didn’t have much of a shooting angle and his shot went wide to the right. A wake-up call.
SPAIN MISSED IT! Samu Aghehowa appeared in the box to shoot after a pass came in from the right when goalkeeper Svetoslav Vutsov made a mistake with his feet. However, the shot went wide. It was the second goal.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! GOOOOOOOAL! GOAL for Spain! Mikel Merino scores! The Arsenal player appeared in the box to head the ball into the net after a header from Le Norman following a cross from Pedri from a corner kick.
SPAIN HAD IT! ANOTHER GREAT SAVE BY SVETOSLAV VUTSOV! The goalkeeper made a great save, flying to send the ball over the crossbar after a shot by Mikel Oyarzabal. The score remains 0-0 thanks to the Bulgarian goalkeeper.
CLOSE CALL! SPAIN HAD IT! The home team came close to opening the scoring again. Pedri tried his luck with a shot inside the box that went just wide of the right post. The score remains goalless so far.
We are approaching the half-hour mark. Spain continues to press forward in search of the opening goal. So far, the score remains tied, but it is unclear how much longer the Bulgarian team will be able to hold out.
SPAIN HAD IT! GREAT SAVE BY SVETOSLAV VUTSOV! The goalkeeper made a great save, flying to his right to stop a powerful shot from Samu Aghehowa after he received the ball in the box. It remains 0-0 thanks to the Bulgarian goalkeeper.
BALL TO THE POST! SPAIN HAD IT! Pedri made a great run into the box with the ball and finished with quality as the goalkeeper came out, but the ball crashed off the crossbar and the crowd’s cry of goal was stifled once again at the José Zorrilla.
SPAIN HAD IT! SAVED BY SVETOSLAV VUTSOV! Great reaction from the goalkeeper to save a powerful shot from Samu Aghehowa in the box after receiving a through ball. The first dangerous warning from the Spanish team in the match.
We’ve reached the first quarter of an hour of the match. The Spanish team’s superiority is now very evident. So far, there haven’t been any clear scoring opportunities, but the home team is putting pressure on their opponents, who remain pinned in their own half.
Spain came close. The home team created the first scoring opportunity… Well, the first attempt. Álex Baena had a chance with a mid-range shot, which went low and goalkeeper Svetoslav Vutsov caught the ball.
The first few minutes of the match are underway at the José Zorrilla Stadium. For now, both teams are speculating a lot about what they want to show on the pitch, although Spain has had possession of the ball practically the entire time. There are still no goals.
THE MATCH IS UNDERWAY! The referee blows his whistle and signals the start of the Spain vs Bulgaria match, corresponding to matchday 4 of Group E in the European qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. Let’s see which team comes out on top.
1 Dimitar Mitov (GK), 13 Dimitar Sheytanov (GK), 2 Hristiyan Petrov 5 Kristian Dimitrov 6 Viktor Popov 7 Zdravko Dimitrov 8 Andrian Kraev 9 Vladimir Nikolov 12 Rosen Bozhinov 16 Marin Petkov 18 Ivaylo Chochev 19 Kristiyan Stoyanov
ALL SET! Estadio José Zorrilla welcomes the players of España and Italy to its pitch to resume their road to the World Cup. The fans in attendance are ready for this match. The ball will be rolling in a few minutes.
Stay tuned to this broadcast! We are just minutes away from bringing you the latest news on the lineups for the Spain vs Bulgaria match at the Jose Zorrilla Stadium. In a few minutes, we will share with you the team news for this match.
Amidst a rather expectant atmosphere, the Bulgarian national team delegation has arrived at the José Zorrilla Stadium. The visiting team is also putting the finishing touches in place before the start of the match. The kickoff is fast approaching.
Everything is ready at the José Zorrilla Stadium. The pitch is in good condition and awaits the players, who have already arrived at the venue where the match will take place. Little by little, the fans are arriving to watch the game.
We are back! We are ready to bring you the action from Spain vs Bulgaria on Group E Matchday 4 of the 2026 World Cup European Qualifiers. We invite you to follow along with us all the news of this match.
We will soon share with you the starting lineups for the Spain vs Bulgaria live match, as well as the latest information from the Jose Zorrilla Stadium. Don’t miss a single detail of the live match updates and commentary from VAVEL’s coverage.
In Bulgaria, Radoslav Kirilov stands out. The 33-year-old striker is one of the team’s most outstanding players so far in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, where he has scored one goal in three games played, totaling 235 minutes played.
In Spain, Mikel Merino stands out. The 29-year-old midfielder is one of the team’s most outstanding players so far in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers, where he has scored four goals in three games, playing a total of 270 minutes.