During the current international break, the Whites midfielder had plenty of action.
After guiding Bulgaria to successive 2-2 draws during the international break, Leeds United midfielder Ilia Gruev reminded Daniel Farke of his quality.
With two games remaining in Group G qualification, Gruev‘s country had only a slender chance of reaching the Euro2024 championships in Germany this summer. Two wins would have put them in position for the play-offs, but two points from the final two games means the Whites‘ midfielder will miss the summer.
Bulgaria tied 2-2 with Hungary, with Gruev playing the entire 90 minutes. Despite falling behind after only ten minutes to Martin Adam, the result was amazing.
Spas Delev equalised in the 24th minute, but their joy was short-lived as Valentin Antov was sent off after 36 minutes. That didn’t stop the hosts, who took the lead from the penalty spot in the 78th minute thanks to Kiril Despodov.
Hungary was also reduced to ten men before the hour mark, with Milos Kerkez given marching orders, but an Aleks Petkov own goal insured a share of the spoils.
Gruev played another 90 minutes against second-placed Serbia in their final Euro 2024 qualifier. Bulgaria similarly squandered a lead after coming from behind early to lead heading into the final stages of the game.
Georgi Rusev‘s goal just before the hour mark cancelled out Milos Veljkovic‘s opener, and Despodov scored again in the 69th minute. Gruev‘s squad will finish the qualifying campaign without a win thanks to a late equaliser from Srdan Babic.
The Whites midfielder has seen minimal game time since joining from Werder Bremen in the summer, but Farke will almost sure use his entire squad depth heading into a key series of games.
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