Ludogorets achieved a convincing 3:0 victory in their visit to Lokomotiv Plovdiv in a match from the 14th round of the First League. The team from Razgrad took the three points at the “Hristo Bonev“ stadium, after scoring one goal in the first half and two more after the break.
Erik Marcus opened the scoring in the 21st minute with a powerful shot, and after the break, Petar Stanic doubled the visitors' lead. The final score was formed by Bernard Tekpetey in the 86th minute. The red card of Andrey Kindrish, who left Plovdiv with a man less in the 56th minute, also had a serious impact on the development of the match.
The beginning of the match did not offer a particularly high pace. In the 9th minute, Ivan Zhelizko fired a powerful shot at the home team's goal, but the ball hit Lucas Ryan's head. The Lokomotiv player needed medical attention and temporarily left the field.
Gradually, Ludogorets established control over the game and began to look at the opponent's goal more often. The pressure of the guests yielded results in the 21st minute. After a long pass from goalkeeper Boyan Milosavljevic, the ball was controlled by the Razgrad players and directed forward. Lucas Ryan tried to head the ball in, but instead of clearing the danger, he sent the ball to Erik Marcus.
The Brazilian burst into the penalty area from the left and fired powerfully. His shot went through Milosavljevic's hands and into the net for 1:0 in favor of Ludogorets.
Lokomotiv tried to respond in the 32nd minute. Parviz Umarbaev crossed from a static position, and Todor Pavlov found himself uncovered in the penalty area, but failed to make an accurate shot.
By the end of the first half, no new serious dangers followed and both teams retired for the break with a minimal lead for the guests.
At the beginning of the second half, the hosts again created tension in front of the Ludogorets goal. In the 50th minute, Umarbaev crossed from a static position, and Hendrik Bonman failed to play the ball well. The situation could have led to an own goal, but the ball went wide of the goal.
Six minutes later, Lokomotiv suffered a serious blow. Andrey Kindrish stepped on Caio Vidal in the Achilles area, and after a review with the help of VAR, the chief referee Todor Kirov showed a direct red card to the defender. Thus, the “Smurfs“ had to finish the match with ten men.
Ludogorets took advantage of their numerical advantage almost immediately. In the 62nd minute, Deroy Duarte was brought behind the Plovdiv defense and sent the ball into the penalty area. There, Petar Stanic positioned himself perfectly and from close range increased the score to 2:0.
After the second goal, the pace of play dropped, as the Razgrad team controlled the events on the pitch and did not allow the hosts to return to the match.
The final result was formed in the 86th minute after excellent play by Igor Jovicevich's players. Amir Hadzhiakhmetovic continued the ball with his heel to Bernard Tekpetey, who shot from the edge of the penalty area. The Ghanaian's shot was aimed at the bottom left corner and left no chance for the Lokomotiv goalkeeper.
Thus, Ludogorets achieved a classic 3:0 success in Plovdiv and added three new points to its assets in the First League.