Ludogorets beat Botev Plovdiv 2:0 at the Huvepharma Arena on Saturday evening in the fifth round of the First League. The result keeps the home side second on 20 points from eight games, while Botev remain seventh with 10 points after three wins, one draw and four defeats.
And here's the thing — the match turned on two early moments. The 32nd minute brought an own goal from T. Awany, then Rwan Cruz added a second just two minutes later. By then Ludogorets had already shifted the balance, and Botev never really recovered. Cruz picked up a yellow card in the 79th minute before being replaced at the hour mark.
The statistics tell a straightforward story. Ludogorets held 54 per cent possession and registered 17 attempts against six for their visitors. They put five shots on target to Botev's single effort, and their seven corners to one reflected the sustained pressure. The attacks tally — 104 to 85 — says less than the shot conversion.
Ludogorets made five changes across the final third of the game, bringing on A. Salido Tajero, M. Rodrigues and A. Chandarov in the 71st minute, before swapping Rwan Cruz, S. Shishkov and B. Tekpetey at the 80th. A. Camara came on late to close out the fixture. Botev started the reshuffle with N. Iliev and Awany at half-time, then introduced Mascote at the hour.
The visitors had come into this fixture with some momentum, ending a three-match winless run with a 3:2 victory over Spartak Varna on Friday. Ludogorets, meanwhile, sit unbeaten in league play this season and now extend their run of positive results. The gap between them and the top remains small, and every point matters.