Slavia Sofia claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over Dunav Ruse at Gradsy Stadium on Monday evening, moving up to ninth place in the Bulgarian first league's regular season standings. The eighth-round fixture concluded with the visitors securing all three points despite playing with ten men from the tenth minute. The result leaves Dunav Ruse rooted to thirteenth spot with just four points from seven games.
The match opened with a dramatic edge when Kyriakos Antoniou received a red card in the tenth minute, reducing the home side to ten men. Alexander Valiño Navasal went yellow thirteen minutes in, while Radoslav Apostolov and Vladimir Nikolov joined the booking list at twenty-two and thirty-five minutes respectively. David Malembana and Vladimir Miletic picked up cautions before half-time, with the home side already three cards deep by the forty-fifth minute.
Slavia Sofia's breakthrough arrived in the sixty-sixth minute through Yoan Bornosuzov, whose strike proved decisive in what was otherwise a cagey affair. The visitors had controlled territory throughout but struggled to convert their superiority into clear-cut opportunities. Dunav Ruse's numerical disadvantage made it difficult to mount serious pressure, though they continued to search for an equaliser.
Both managers made changes in the second half, with Kristiyan Stoyanov coming on for Slavia at sixty-three minutes and Stefan Gavrilov replacing someone for Dunav at sixty-eight. The eightieth minute saw Roberto Iliev Raychev and Vladimir Miletic both substituted, followed by Vladan Vidaković and Jordan Louis Saint for the hosts at eighty-two. Emil Stoev and Vladimir Nikolov were brought off in stoppage time, while Dimitar Todorov and an unnamed player received late yellow cards.
The statistics tell the story of a match where possession did not translate into dominance. Slavia Sofia held 61 per cent of the ball and registered ninety-four attacks, yet managed only three shots on target from eleven off-target efforts. Dunav Ruse had thirty-nine per cent possession but their shots accuracy of nine per cent meant just one shot found the way to goal. Both sides earned seven corners each, while the home side had more throw-ins and goal kicks.
The result extends Slavia Sofia's recent struggles, following their 1-2 defeat to Levski Sofia on Wednesday. Dunav Ruse's form has been equally disappointing, with only one win from seven league games. The hosts have now lost five of their eight matches, while the visitors sit two points above them in the table. Both teams face a difficult run if they hope to climb further up the standings.
