The Ludogorets Football Academy achieved an amazing success after Todor Zhivondov’s U18 team win the Bulgarian Cup final in a dramatic game, thus winning the right to participate in the UEFA Youth Leagues. The team won 5:3 (1:1) during the regular game time) against Cherno More and will take part in the most prestigious football tournament. Different Ludogorets formations have participated three times before in the tournament. The keeper Rusanov was the hero of the game for saving two penalty shots.
This was the second Ludogorets Academy success in the last couple of days. The U16 formation also won the championship after defeating 1:0 Septemvri.
The penalty goals for Ludogorets were scored by Ganchev, Minkov, Karaangelov and Simeonov, and Cherno More missed two of them.
Cherno More scored in the 10th minute via Vasilev. Georgiev tried to score five minutes later but Dichevski saved. Georgiev got in control of the ball in the 28th minute and attempted another goal but he was not accurate enough. Cherno More was close to a goal in the 44th minute, but the ball hit the woodwork.
Ludogorets applied some pressure on the opponent as soon as the second half began despite the fact that Minchev joined Cherno More, and he is one of their most important players. Cherno More’s keeper barely saved Georgiev’s goal attempt in the 46th minute. Karaangelov did not miss a minute later. Simeonov almost scored in the 62nd minute but one defender intervened right before the goal line. Babaliev’s attempt in the 70th minute was not a problem for the keeper. Naydenov did the same in the 76th minute. Minkov kicked the ball from the penalty zone border in the 78th minute but the ball went above the crossbar. During the added time a Cherno More player tried to score but also sent it high above the gate.
Ludogorets U18: Rusanov, Ganchev, Ruskov, Ganchev, Zhekov, Minkov – captain, Georgiev (Petkov), Karaangelov, Babaliev (Hyusein), Yanakiev (Simeonov), Naydenov (Tsvetanov)
Cherno More U18: Dichevski, Stankov, Stoyanov – captain, Stefanov, Damyanov, Parashkevov, Georgiev, Ivanov, Vasilev, Nedzhet, Angelov (Minchev, Nikolov, Hasan)