The Estonian women’s national football team hosted Bulgaria today at the A Le Coq Arena for their second match in the UEFA Nations League C. The game ended in a goalless draw.
Estonia lost to Israel in their opening Nations League match in February, and Bulgaria suffered a similar fate. The two teams had previously met only once, with Bulgaria winning that encounter 5-0 in 2006.
The Estonian manager made three changes to the starting lineup compared to the game against Israel. Katrin Kirpu, the only goalscorer in the previous match, returned to the starting XI alongside Kristina Teern and Liselle Palts.
Bulgaria started the game strongly, pressing high and creating multiple chances. The most dangerous moment came in the 18th minute when Yaneva struck the bar with a free kick.
As the first half progressed, Estonia adapted to Bulgaria’s game plan, and the Bulgarian side’s pace slowed down. However, Estonia struggled to find space between the opponent’s players to create threatening attacks.
Towards the end of the half, Estonia showed promise, posing threats from set pieces and counterattacks. In the 38th minute, a corner kick led to a goal, but it was disallowed due to a foul. Shortly after, Estonia won a free kick just outside the box, but Kristina Teern’s effort sailed over the goal. Estonian goalkeeper Katarina Elisabeth Käpa made a crucial save before halftime, ensuring the teams went into the break with a score of 0-0.
In the second half, Estonia made several substitutions, which slightly improved their performance, but Bulgaria remained the sharper side. In the last 30 minutes, Estonia began to utilize both flanks effectively in attack, creating dangerous situations near the Bulgarian goal.
A notable moment occurred in the 80th minute when Anette Salei broke through from the left wing and took a shot, but her effort was weak and failed to hit the target.
In the final moments of regular time, Estonia had a numerical advantage after a Bulgarian player was forced to leave the field due to injury, and Bulgaria had no more substitutions left. However, Estonia could not capitalize on this advantage during stoppage time, and the match concluded with a 0-0 draw.
In four days, on April 8, Estonia will face Latvia in an away match. The kickoff is scheduled for 5:00 PM at the LNK Sporta Parks stadium in Rīga.
Estonia vs Bulgaria – 0:0 (0:0)
Goals:
Yellow Card: Kala 17′, Volkov 19′ | Stankova 40′, Dimanova 74′, Naydenova 78′, Karaivanova 81′
EST: Käpa – Kala, Räämet, Zlidnis – Kirpu (Kubassova 90+1′), Volkov, Tarkmeel, Merisalu (Lillemae 56′) – Tammik, Teern (Salei 56′), Palts (Saulus 74′)
Estonia WNT squad:
Goalkeeper
Victoria Vihman (20) – Tallinna FC Flora
Katarina Elisabeth Käpa (19) – Tallinna FC Flora
Roberta Jürna (19) – JK Tallinna Kalev
Defender
Inna Kiss-Zlidnis (34) – Budafoki LC (HUN)
Kelly Rosen (29) – Tallinna FC Flora
Siret Räämet (25) – LASK (AUT)
Rahel Repkin (26) – IFK Värnamo (SWE)
Annegret Kala (18) – Tartu JK Tammeka
Eva-Maria Niit (23) – Tallinna FC Flora
Lisette Tammik (26) – Tallinna FC Flora
Maris Liis Lilemäe (24) – Tallinna FC Flora
Liisa Merisalu (23) – FC Thy-Thisted (DEN)
Jaanika Volkov (20) – LASK (AUT)
Katrin Kirpu (20) – Aland United (FIN)
Anette Salei (19) – JK Tabasalu
Anett Vilipuu (28) – JK Tallinna Kalev
Liselle Palts (19) – Tallinna FC Flora
Helina Tarkmeel (19) – Tallinna FC Flora
Loviise Männiste (17) – FC Elva
Forward
Vlada Kubassova (29) – Ferencvaros (HUN)
Kristina Teern (20) – LASK (AUT)
Katriin Saulus (21) – Saku Sporting
Emma Treiberg (24) – Saku Sporting