Ludogorets secured a place in the Europa League group stage after a dramatic 4:1 victory over Shkendija in Razgrad, achieved after extra time. The regular 90 minutes ended 2:1 for the Bulgarian champions, the same scoreline by which they had lost a week earlier in Skopje.

The hosts struck early. In the ninth minute, Caio Vidal broke into the penalty area and fired at goal. Baboucarr Gaye parried the attempt, but Edvin Kurtulus reacted quickest and drove the rebound firmly into the net for 1:0. Just three minutes later, Vidal again threatened with a powerful shot, which Gaye could not reach, though the ball rebounded off the left post. Ludogorets continued to press and in the 12th minute made their dominance count. Deroy Duarte sent in a precise cross, which Ivaylo Chochev volleyed home, turning around the aggregate score at 2:0.

The Bulgarian side, however, failed to finish the contest in regular time. In the 65th minute, the Macedonian team responded. Ibrahimi slipped a clever ball into the penalty area for Fabrice Tamba, who with his first touch controlled it and with his second drove it past Sergio Padt to make it 1:2 on the night and 3:3 on aggregate. The tension mounted as the match approached the closing stages. In the 86th minute, Petar Stanić had a golden chance to restore Ludogorets’ lead, but Gaye kept him out, and the assistant referee raised his flag for offside. Moments later, Tamba could have punished the home side when he skipped past the Ludogorets goalkeeper, yet his effort went narrowly wide.

Drama continued just before the final whistle. Two minutes from time, Anton Nedyalkov made a costly error, gifting the ball to Tamba. The Shkendija striker attempted a delicate pass beyond Padt, but his execution failed and Ludogorets survived to force extra time.

The additional half-hour began with the Bulgarian side pushing forward. In the 93rd minute, Bernard Tekpetey unleashed a fierce shot from outside the box, only for Gaye to tip it away. From the ensuing corner, Stanić’s attempt was also blocked. Tekpetey, however, did not miss at his next opportunity. In the 99th minute, the Ghanaian winger struck again with power. The goalkeeper got a hand to the ball, but it rebounded off the post and crossed the line for 3:1.

In the second half of extra time, Tekpetey had another chance to extend the lead, intercepting a loose pass and firing at goal, but once more Gaye denied him. The final blow came deep into stoppage time of extra time. In the 122nd minute, Erick Bile found the net, sealing the 4:1 scoreline and confirming Ludogorets’ place in the Europa League group stage.