Teen dream turns to nightmare

Teenager Matthijs de Ligt’s dream debut for Holland quickly turned into a nightmare in Sofia as he handed Bulgaria an early goal after failing to judge the flight of a high ball in a 2-0 defeat for the Dutch. Coach Danny Blind conceded before kick-off he was taking a risk playing De Ligt who, at 17, became the youngest Holland debutant since Mauk Weber in 1931. But Blind said injuries to other centre-backs forced him to select a player with only a handful of appearances for Ajax. De Ligt was also involved in Bulgaria’s second, failing to block a shot from Spas Delev, before being substituted at half-time. Holland, who failed to qualify for Euro 2016, face missing out on Russia next year. With France staying on top of Group A by beating Luxembourg 3-1 and Sweden thrashing Belarus 4-0 to go second, Holland slid to fourth, behind Bulgaria.