Spartak Varna vs Nesebar

Spartak Varna boss Gjoko Hadzievski fielded an experimental starting XI composed almost entirely of the club's summer arrivals, using the fixture as a fitness-building exercise ahead of the new season.

The hosts nearly took the lead inside five minutes. Zakaria Tindano delivered a sharp cross from the left flank and Jose Antonio Bua met it with a stylish volley, but his effort crashed back off the crossbar.

Spartak did find the breakthrough in the 31st minute. A superb pass from Bua picked out fellow new signing Anton Ivanov, who found himself unmarked in front of goal and calmly slotted past the Nesebar goalkeeper to make it 1-0.

In the 40th minute, a long-range Spartak effort forced a smart save from the Nesebar keeper, who was kept busy throughout the first period.

Then, in the 43rd minute, heavy rain swept across the Varna coast. The referee halted the match briefly and led the players off the pitch early as the downpour made conditions unplayable.

Nesebar emerged from the interval with renewed purpose. Just 60 seconds into the second half, a Nesebar attacker was played in behind the Spartak defence and executed a composed lob over Spartak goalkeeper Valentin Dimitrov to level the scores at 1-1.

The early equaliser shifted the momentum. Hadzievski responded by rotating his full squad, giving every available outfield player minutes to build match sharpness.

Anton Ivanov (Spartak Varna) — The new signing scored his first goal for the club with a composed finish in the 31st minute. He was also involved in the build-up that led to Bua's early chance. A promising debut showing.

Nesebar goalkeeper — Made three important saves across the match: a long-range stop in the 40th minute, keeping out Jota Lopes' low strike in the 74th, and a brilliant reaction save to deny Tsvetelin Chunchukov's headed effort in the 86th minute.

Jose Antonio Bua (Spartak Varna) — Hit the crossbar in the 5th minute and provided the assist for Ivanov's opener. Was a creative force in the first half.

Georgi Trifonov (Spartak Varna) — The new signing found himself in a shooting position in the 63rd minute but fired over the bar.

The match was played in two distinct halves: Spartak dominated the first period, creating the better chances and deservedly leading at the break. Nesebar's second-half response was swift and clinical, scoring within two minutes of the restart. The hosts controlled possession for long spells but lacked the cutting edge to reclaim the lead, despite late pressure that saw Chunchukov's 86th-minute header brilliantly saved. The draw was a fair reflection of the balance of play across the 90 minutes.

This was Spartak Varna's third pre-season friendly of the summer 2026/27 campaign. They had previously lost 1-0 to Botev Plovdiv on 4 July and drawn 0-0 with Dunav Ruse on 27 June. Hadzievski's side will play one more friendly — against Dobrudja — before the new season kicks off. Nesebar, who compete in Bulgaria's Second League, drew 1-1 with Ludogorets II on 1 July in their previous warm-up fixture.

A pre-season friendly played in difficult conditions, with the heavy rain in the 43rd minute disrupting the flow. Spartak showed enough in the first half to suggest their new signings are settling in, but the failure to hold a lead for the second consecutive friendly is a concern Hadzievski will want to address before the competitive season begins. Nesebar, organised and clinical, took their chance well and will be the happier of the two sides.