With a four goal second half, Greece has defeated Bulgaria 4-0 in its last friendly before the start of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Mediocre in the first half, impressive in the second 45 minutes, Ivan Jovanovic’s ‘blue and white’ team were victorious with scorers Pelkas (51′), Ioannidis (66′), Tzolis (74′), and Konstantelias (89′).
With the entire line-up changed from the friendly against Slovakia, the national team was far from its best.
The internationals were unable to coordinate and this resulted in them only twice coming close to goal.
First at 33′, when Pelkas shot wide and second at 45+2′ when Ioannidis headed the ball over the Bulgarian goalkeeper.
In the second half, however, it was showtime.
From a Bakasetas shot, the ball went against Masouras and was laid to Pelkas, who had no problem scoring 1-0. Fifteen minutes later, Pelkas passed an amazing assist to Ioannidis and the Panathinaikos forward scored for 2-0. In the 74th minute, Christos Tzolis scored the third Greek goal in his first contact with the ball after an assist from captain Bakasetas. Something similar happened in the 88th minute with Konstantelias scoring from close range, seconds after entering the field, for the final score of 4-0.
Greece had found its rhythm again and the 18,000 fans at Pankritio Stadium rewarded them with their warm applause.
Two excellent performances in Crete, many promises for the future and the World Cup qualifiers that begin for the national team in three months.
