Ludogorets celebrates 80 Years with a spectacular show

Ludogorets marked its 80th Anniversary in spectacular fashion. In front of nearly 7,500 fans, some of the greatest legends of the "Eagles" – including Svetoslav Dyakov, Cosmin Moti, Marcelinho, Vladislav Stoyanov, Claudiu Keteru, and many others – took the field. They were split into The Eagles and The Wolves, with the match ending in a 2:2 draw.

The event was hosted by popular entertainer Nencho Balabanov. Before the exhibition match, Bulgarian Football Union President Georgi Ivanov presented awards to the club's leadership, including owners Kiril and Georgi Domuschiev, as well as former Ludogorets players. A special musical performance by Veselin Marinov followed, including a song written specifically for the occasion, titled “Ludogorets Champion!” After the warm-up, Victoria Blagoeva, a native of Razgrad, sang a song dedicated to The Champions.

Before kickoff, the teams observed a minute of silence in memory of Diogo Jota and Andre Silva, who died in a car accident.

As for the match itself, there were early missed chances from Stanislav Genchev and Claudiu Keseru. In the 20th minute, referee Atanas Uzunov awarded a penalty after Alexandre Barthe fouled Dimo Bakalov. Bakalov stepped up to take the penalty but sent the ball over the crossbar. Two phenomenal saves by Vladislav Stoyanov followed, after shots from Keseru, but the striker finally found the net in the 29th minute, assisted by Marcelinho.

During halftime, the iconic group C-Block performed their biggest hits, including “So Strung Out,” “Time Is Tickin' Away,” and “Summertime.” This was followed by Krisko, who thrilled the younger part of the audience.

In the second half, The Eagles equalized after a beautiful move that started with Dimo Bakalov, went through Hristo Zlatinski, and was finished by club scout Ivan Tsvetkov. The Wolves regained the lead in the 47th minute after a smooth team play between Junior Caicara, Claudiu Keseru, and Marcelinho, who slotted it past Stoyanov. The final score, 2:2, was sealed by Hristo Zlatinski in the 51st minute with a powerful shot.

After the match, an emotional Marcelinho gave a tearful interview, admitting he never expected so many fans to attend the anniversary celebration.

The dazzling show ended with a performance by pop-folk legend Sofi Marinova, who brought the entire stadium to its feet.

EAGLES – WOLVES 2:2

0:1 Keseru (29')

1:1 I. Cvetkov (34')

1:2 Marcelinho (47')

2:2 Zlatinski (51')

EAGLES: Vladislav Stoyanov, Stanislav Manolev, Tero Mantula, Cosmin Moti, Yordan Minev, Stanislav Genchev, Svetoslav Dyakov, Hristo Zlatinski, Dani Abalo, Todor Kolev, Dimo Bakalov. (Komitov, Marinov, Dimitrov, Ivan Cvetkov)

WOLVES: Uros Golubovic, Dimo Atanasov, Alexandre Barthe, Dragos Grigore, Junior Caicara, Miroslav Ivanov, Marcelinho, Sunay Veli, Galin Tsonev, Junior Quixada, Claudiu Keseru. (Gospodinov, Shener Remzi, Ivan Cvorovic, Branimir Kostadinov)

Razgrad, Huvepharma Arena, 7,500 spectators
Referee – Atanas Uzunov
Assistants – Mihail Yordanov and Yordan Yordanov