Ludogorets lost the first Europa League playoff match 1:2 against Shkendija at the "Todor Proeski" stadium in Skopje. The champions squandered a 1:0 lead and allowed a comeback to 2:1, complicating the second leg, which will take place in a week at the "Huvepharma Arena".
The match started well for the “Eagles,” who opened the scoring in the 17th minute. Duarte found the net after a good assist from Petar Stanic. In the following minutes, Ludogorets dominated but missed the chance to score a second goal and secure the match.
The hosts from Shkendija equalized in the 35th minute. Latifi scored from a direct free kick to make it 1:1. In the second half, the home team completed the comeback. In the 60th minute, Ibrahimi received the ball in the box and sent it past Sergio Padt with a well-placed shot. In the remaining minutes, Ludogorets tried to equalize, but the players were not having a good day. The best chance fell to substitute Bernard Tekpetey, who got into a clear position with the help of Mateus Machado after a quick counterattack, but he failed to beat the Shkendija goalkeeper twice.
