Dunav Ruse and Botev Vratsa shared the points in a 2:2 draw at Gradski Stadium on Saturday. The First League encounter in regular season round 10 ended with both sides level after ninety minutes. By then, Dunav Ruse had already shown they could hit back when needed.
Jordan Louis Saint opened the scoring in the ninth minute, giving the hosts an early advantage. Alexander Valiño Navasal doubled the lead just before half-time in the 36th minute. Sainey Sanyang pulled one back for Botev Vratsa on 45+3, and Kassim Hadji completed the comeback in the 89th minute. And here's the thing — Dunav Ruse carried the side for large stretches before the visitors tightened things up.
Both managers made heavy changes at the interval. Botev Vratsa brought on four players in the 46th minute, including Antoan Stoyanov and Mario Dilchovski. Dunav Ruse also made multiple alterations, with Jordan Louis Saint coming off in the 74th minute after his opening goal. To be fair, neither side had much to do all evening in terms of clear-cut chances.
Botev Vratsa controlled possession with 0.56 and registered 118 attacks compared to the hosts' 104. The visitors managed five shots on target against four for Dunav Ruse, though accuracy favoured the home side at 0.57 to 0.50. Corners told a different story: Botev Vratsa earned three to the hosts' single effort.
The result left Dunav Ruse in 13th place with five points from ten fixtures. Botev Vratsa moved up to ninth with nine points, extending their advantage over the hosts. By then, both sides had shown glimpses of their recent form — Dunav Ruse's struggles and Botev's mixed results.
Dunav Ruse's draw ended a run of poor results that had seen them lose four of their last five matches. Botev Vratsa had nothing to do all evening after their early setback but saw it out with persistence. The scoreline reflected a game where chances went begging on both sides.