The 6-2 demolition of Georgia in their final World Cup qualifying match on Wednesday was not an indication Bulgaria had turned the corner in terms of their recent performances, Manchester United forward Dimitar Berbatov has said.

More Stories

• World Cup standings

Bulgaria finished behind Italy and Ireland in European qualifying's Group Eight, failing for the third successive time to reach the finals of a major tournament.

"The result shouldn't mislead us," said Berbatov, who scored a hat-trick against Georgia. "We still have problems, you just can't solve everything by scoring six goals in one game," the Manchester United striker said.

"The reality is that we don't have quality players for every position ...(and) you can't expect three horses to pull the carriage," he added, referring to the presence of himself and fellow English Premier League players Martin Petrov (Manchester City) and Stilian Petrov (Aston Villa).

"I've always been an optimist but I don't see much light at the end of the tunnel in this moment.

"There's a lot of work to be done. A few days ago, I went to see a (Bulgarian league leaders) CSKA Sofia match and I nearly fell asleep."

There was some positive news for Berbatov, as his partner Elena gave birth to their first child in Sofia on Thursday.

"There have been no complications, and both the mother and the baby daughter are healthy," a statement on the player's personal website said

Bulgaria's win over Georgia was seen by one of the smallest crowds at the Vasil Levski national stadium with fans staying away following the 4-1 loss to Cyprus on Saturday, which did not go unnoticed by Bulgaria's sporting director Nasko Sirakov.

"We have brought shame on our football and country and we can wash away this disgraceful performance only by reaching the Euro 2012 finals, not by defeating a team like Georgia," said Sirakov.