Ludogorets Defeats Malmö in Europa League away Victory, Reversing Past Champions League Defeat
MALMÖ, SWEDEN – Ludogorets secured a historic 2-0 victory against Malmö FF in their Europa League clash on thursday, marking the Bulgarian champion’s first win against the Swedish side after being eliminated by them in the Champions league qualifying rounds four years prior. Goals from Stanic in the 9th minute and bile in the 23rd minute propelled Ludogorets to a commanding lead, despite a late goal from Malmö’s Lars Berg Jonsen in the 75th minute.
The win represents a critically important turnaround for ludogorets, who previously suffered defeat to Malmö in the Champions League qualifiers. Despite a strong performance from Malmö, particularly in the first half with several attempts saved by Ludogorets goalkeeper Sergio Padt, and a controversial yellow card decision involving Adrian Skogmar in the 44th minute, the Bulgarian team maintained their composure.Padt continued to prove pivotal, making crucial saves in the 86th minute to deny Malmö a late equalizer.
The match saw several near misses for Ludogorets, including a shot from kayo Vidal that hit the crossbar in added time of the first half and another one-on-one opportunity saved by Malmö goalkeeper Olsen in the 59th minute.
Ludogorets coach Rui Mota opted for a lineup excluding Bulgarian players, favoring a trio of Duarte, Stanic, and Resi in midfield, while also keeping summer signing Kaloch on the bench. Marcus was preferred in attack over Tekpete.
Malmö FF – Ludogorets 0:2
(Jonsen ’75; Stanic ‘9, Bile ’23)
Starting Lineups:
Malmö: Olsen, Striger, Jionson, Roler, Busanello, Bolin, Rosenngren, [incomplete list in original text]
Ludogorets: Padt, Anderson, Kurtulush, Almeida, Dream, Naresi, Stanich, Duarte, Marcus, Vidal, Bile.
