site.btaFootball Club Botev Plovdiv Wins Bulgarian Cup

Football Club Botev Plovdiv won the Bulgarian Cup for the fourth time in its history here on Wednesday. In the final of the tournament, Botev scored a 3-2 win over the league champion PFC Ludogorets Razgrad at the Vasil Levski National Stadium.

With the win, Botev FC guaranteed its spot in next season's edition of the UEFA Europe League - the second-tier competition of European club football.

The match kicked off with two early goals - one for each team. Botev took the lead in the 4th minute after a corner kick but just four minutes later the score was level.  Ludogorets dictated the game in the following minutes, but made a number of misses. Against the run of play, Botev took the lead again at the very end of the first half. 

In the second half Botev gave the initiative to its opponent, relying on counterattacks. Indeed, it was a successful counterattack that made the score 3-1 in the 58th minute. 

Ludogorets got back into the game in the 71st minute with a goal by forward Rwan Cruz and deep into added time got a chance to equalize after the referee awarded a penalty for the team from Razgrad. Cruz failed to convert the chance and Botev won the game.