Despodov scored but Ludogorets lost to Royal Antwerp

Ludogorets allowed a fifth loss in a row, as the team lost 1:3 to Royal Antwerp. The Belgians qualified for the 1/16 finals and will stand against Tottenham Hotspur.

The coach Genchev decided to stick to the 4-3-2-1 configuration. Vladislav Stoyanov was the keeper after a long pause of 1,349 days without stepping on the pitch at a European match.

The home team made mistakes as soon as the match began. The guest team was lucky because Stoyanov’s gate was a target. Gerkens and De Laet almost scored in the first seven minutes of the match. Nedyalkov had the chance to score in the 8^th minute but missed the gate. The Belgians continued seeking victory and Hongla eventually scored after receiving a pass and outplaying Anicet. Verdon let Miyoshi pass the ball to Benavente who missed the gate. Stoyanov saved another attempt of his just seconds later. Gerkens missed a great chance to score but he missed the gate. He tried again but this time Stoyanov intervened and saved. Ikoko was injured in the 42^nd minute and Terziev replaced him.

Ludogorets showed strength in the second half. Despodov missed a chance to score and the ball went into a corner. Ludogorets had a reason to ask for a penalty kick later but the Czech referee denied it. Terziev passed to Tchibota in the 47^th minute who made a mistake and sent the ball straight into the keeper’s body/ Despodov received the ball from Cauly in the 53^rd minute and scored. This was his first goal since he joined Ludogorets. The team applied more pressure and their defensive line was left almost empty. Juklerod was left alone against the gatekeeper in the 60^th minute but he hit the woodwork. Genchev replaced a couple of players in an attempt to change the game pace but with zero results. Rafaelov sent the ball to De Laet who outplayed Verdon and Nedyalkov and scored for 2:1. This devastated Ludogorets and they did not create new situations until the end of the match. Miyoshi passed the ball to Benson in the 87^th minute who scored easily. Grigore received a second yellow card and will miss the next match.

ROYAL ANTWERP - LUDOGORETS 3:1

1:0 Hogla (20')
1:1 Despodov (53')
2:1 De Laet (72')
3:1 Benson (87')

ROYAL ANTWERP: Butez, De Laet, Seck, Juklerod (63 – Benson), Rafaelov (76 – Buta), Gerkens (84 – Mbokani), Hogla (76 – Boya), Miyoshi, Benavente (Ampoma), Gelin, Haroun

LUDOGORETS:   Stoyanov, Nedyalkov, Grigore, Verdon, Ikoko (44 – Terziev), Anicet, Badji (83 – Santana), Tchibota (66 – Tekpetey), Oliveira, Despodov (83 – Mitkov), Keseru (66 – Manu)

Yellow cards: Nedyalkov, Grigore, Santana, Manu (Ludogorets);

Red card: Grigore (Ludogorets).