Athletic Club came from behind to defeat Ludogorets Razgrad 2-1 in the UEFA Europa League (UEL), maintaining their unbeaten start to the campaign whilst keeping their opponents winless.
Starting the game at opposite ends of the table in what was their first-ever meeting, favourites Athletic had Ludogorets on the back foot from the off.
That early pressure almost resulted in the opener when Inaki Williams somehow skewed a close-range side-foot volley wide of the far post, yet moments later, it was the hosts who were ahead.
Athletic had only conceded in one of their last eight UEL games before the half-hour mark, but against the run of play, Ludogorets took a surprise lead thanks to a thumping effort from Erick Marcus, who made the most of a poor clearance from a corner.
With their first goal of the UEL campaign now on the scoreboard, the Bulgarian side looked the most likely to net the game’s second. In fact, they had the ball in the net once more before the break as Rick swept in from a low cross, only to be denied by an offside in the build-up.
Despite dominating possession, Athletic were struggling to carve out clear-cut chances, with Erick Marcus dragging wide following a sharp breakaway for the hosts on the stroke of half-time.
Having failed to score more than once in five of their previous six UEL fixtures, Athletic needed to buck that trend if they were to come away with all three points here. Little over 10 minutes into the half, Ernesto Valverde had seen enough from his team, making a triple alteration in an effort to spark some life into his side.
Soon after, Sergio Padt was required to beat away Yuri Berchiche’s effort from the edge of the box, but the hosts maintained a threat of their own, as Kwadwo Duah saw his goal-bound strike headed away from danger.
Athletic were looking menacing, and they eventually got their reward with a pair of quickfire goals to turn the contest on its head. First, the eldest Williams brother took an excellent touch in the box to create the space to fire in an equaliser that seemed to knock Ludogorets off their stride.
Just one minute later, Nico Serrano picked up the ball down the right, cutting inside to curl an effort inside the far post to put his side ahead.
Those goals predictably knocked the stuffing out of Ludogorets, who ultimately had no response as Athletic saw out a win that lifted them to third in the table, at least for the time being.
Despite denying Ander Herrera late on, Ludogorets had nothing to show for their efforts, continuing a disappointing record against Spanish sides continues, having lost all nine encounters to leave them 34th in the standings.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Inaki Williams (Athletic Club)
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