Arda's rival in the Conference League HIK achieved a third consecutive victory in the Finnish championship, sportal.bg reported.
The team from Helsinki won 4:2 in their visit to Gnistan and came in third place in the standings.
Russian Evgeniy Bashkirov received a red card and left Gnistan with a man less in the 21st minute. By the break, HIC managed to take the lead with a precise shot by BenjiMitchell (38'), and in the second half they made the most of their numerical advantage.
Santeri Hoštika (54') made the score 2:0, but Gabriel Europeus (57') brought the intrigue back. Mitchell scored again in the 65th minute, and reserve Kai Meriluoto decided everything in favor of HIC. In the end, the hosts reduced the deficit through Artur Atara.
The leader in the local Veikausliiga is Inter (Turku) with 37 points, followed by Ilves with 35 and HIC with 32. The second leg between the team from Helsinki and Arda is on Thursday. The match in Kardzhali ended 0:0.