Delev's 1st-half brace sees Bulgaria stun sputtering Netherlands

The Netherlands gave up two goals to Bulgaria in the first 20 minutes of their World Cup qualifier on Saturday - the quickest the Dutch have ever surrendered a brace in a competitive fixture, according to Gracenote Sports.

Bulgaria's Spas Delev bossed the Netherlands' inexperienced backline and ensured a 2-0 victory for the underdog.

Delev exposed 17-year-old defender Matthijs de Ligt on both occasions. It is a harrowing debut for the Ajax product, who is the youngest player to represent the Netherlands since 1931.

For the first goal, Delev ran behind De Ligt and prodded the ball past baffled goalkeeper Jeroen Zoet. The second came after De Ligt's poor clearance, which Delev corralled and quickly turned into the net with rapid ease.

The 1988 European champion is at risk of missing a second major tournament in a row.

The loss leaves the Netherlands in fourth place in Group A, six points behind leader France.