Ludogorets won 3:1 as a guest over Septemvri and became the last 1/4-finalist in the Bulgarian Cup tournament, Topsport reported.
Despite the categorical result, the champions' goals were somewhat the result of coincidences, while the hosts controlled the initiative and organized more attacks throughout the match.
The Razgrad Eagles took the lead in the score in the 7th minute. Eric Marcus crossed from the right into the penalty area, where Sebastian Wade did not react convincingly and Kwadwo Dua sent the ball into the empty net.
Just four minutes later, Ludogorets doubled their lead. Son brought Eric Marcus face to face with goalkeeper Vladimir Ivanov, who had come out to meet him, and he coolly converted for 0:2.
In the first half, September had more of the initiative, trying to organize attacks and threaten the visitors' goal. Alexander Dzhamov missed an opportunity in the 5th minute, and Ochai and Fontaine also had chances that they failed to convert. Sergio Padt made a serious mistake after a quarter of an hour of play, but his teammates covered for him and September was unable to reduce its deficit.
After the restart, Bertrand Fourier hit the crossbar, and a little later, Kwadwo Dua scored for the second time after an assist from Eric Marcus to make it 0:3. Eric Marcus also tried a shot that hit the side post.
September managed to pull one back in the 77th minute. Stoyan Stoichkov burst into the penalty area and sent the ball crossed by Dzhamov into the far corner for 1:3, showing that the hosts' efforts did not go unnoticed.
Septemvri coach Slavko Matic received a yellow card in the 69th minute for a remark to the referee, and the hosts continued to search for a goal until the end of the match, with Victor Ochai and Nicolas Fontaine launching dangerous shots that were saved by Sergio Padt.
Ultimately, Ludogorets showed efficiency in the finishing moves, taking advantage of errors in Septemvri's defense and their counterattacks to qualify for the next phase of the tournament.