The Leeds United midfielder played the full match as Bulgaria earned its first win of the Nations League campaign.
Leeds United midfielder Ilia Gruev captained Bulgaria to a 2-0 victory over Luxembourg in the UEFA Nations League on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at Stade de Luxembourg, Yahoo Sports reported.
Kristiyan Balov opened the scoring in the 19th minute, and Atanas Iliev doubled the visitors’ lead 15 minutes later. Bulgaria then protected the advantage after halftime to secure its first victory of the campaign.
Gruev’s afternoon in midfield
The 26-year-old anchored Bulgaria’s midfield for the full 90 minutes. He recorded 48 touches, completed 31 accurate passes and won three duels. He was credited with six defensive contributions, and his work without the ball included one tackle, three clearances, two interceptions and three recoveries.
The result lifts Bulgaria to four points from its opening four matches in Nations League Group C4. It was another full-match outing for Gruev during the international break, after he also started Bulgaria’s games against Estonia and Iceland as well as the earlier meeting with Luxembourg.
