PFC LUDOGORETS RAZGRAD 1945 (Ludogorets Arena)

UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE GROUP STAGE, LUDOGORETS RAZDRAD 0-1 ESPANYOL, ATTENDANCE: 10,334

When I booked my latest European excursion, this time to Bulgaria, the plan was to get three games in. A Europa League tie involving the Champions of Bulgaria, Ludogorets Razgrad, and Barcelona's other side, Espanyol, plus a top flight double featuring both of the Plovdiv sides. However things didn't quite go to plan to say the least!

The week before travelling, all games in Bulgaria, even low level fixtures, were cancelled because of elections. That another reason for a postponement to add to the list. Apparently the authorities called off the games due to their "inability to guard football meetings on the dates around the elections" so that was my raison d'être well and truly scuppered. Makes a change from a waterlogged pitch.

Regardless I ploughed on and I flew from Luton to the Black Sea resort of Varna. I didn't hang around to say 'hola' as the Espanyol staff and players were not for behind me when I landed around 2pm local time. Bus 409 runs to the city centre, every 15 minutes, and costs 1 lev (approximately 50p and is the standard price for a single bus trip). However make sure your bus is going in the direction of the city and not the other way as I nearly made that mistake!

I had a walk around the centre and down to the seafront before heading back to town to seek out the beer ticks. In one of the bars, I met an Irish couple, who said they have been coming to Varna for 20 years, and they implored me to avoid the trains and take the bus as they are generally quicker and a lot more comfortable. Apparently trains between big cities are ok but otherwise avoid. Having taken both over the course of this trip I can confirm this to be true. (The five hour ride from Razgrad was more pleasant than a 3 hour train journey from Plovdiv). Whatever the mode of transport, I made a mental note that one day I must return to the city and watch PFC Cherno More Varna in action.

It was by bus that I made the trip from Varna to Razgrad (in the direction of Ruse). It cost around £5 and took about 90 minutes. The city of Razgrad in the North East of the country and is 65 miles south of Bucharest. This is a other option for a route in. Hindsight is wonderful thing but I wish I'd gone that way then I may have been to get some Romanian games in.

Razgrad is built upon the ruins of the Ancient Roman town of Abritus so prior to game I a stroll out to the Abritus National Archaeological Reserve to have a look at the remains of a Roman military camp (pictured above). In terms of things to do from a tourist perspective, there isn't a lot to see. I spent the pre-match in a cafe on the main street having a couple of beers and watching the world go by. 

Some of the sights of Razgrad including the

famous clock tower, built in 1864.

The Professional Football Club Ludogorets are a recent phenomenon, despite the club having 1945 on their badge. The club was formed in 2001, replacing the old club which was eventually dissolved in 2006, and adopting their name soon afterwards. The original club had spent most of history in the lower reaches of Bulgarian football.

The Eagles of Razgrad's modern history began in 2009 when the club achieved promotion to the second division. When businessman Kiril Domuschiev took over the club in September 2010, the second division title was won that later season and the club achieved top flight status for the first time. In their debut season in the top flight the club won the league title, along with Bulgarian Cup and the Bulgarian Supercup to complete a domestic treble.

The club have won every league title since, that's eight in a row, wrestling away power from the traditional Sofia based clubs. They also won the treble once again in 2014. These recent successes have resulted in qualification for European football.

It was these subsequent European adventures are what placed Ludogorets firmly on my bucket list, especially with them having played Welsh opposition this season, beating The New Saints 9-0 on aggregate in the Europa League qualifying stages. They have also played Liverpool in the Champions League (in 2014) where they famously earned a 2-2 draw in Bulgaria and narrowly lost 2-1 in the away game. In 2016 Arsenal comprehensively beat them 6-0 at The Emirates and 3-2 in Bulgaria.

The clubs best European performance came in the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League, when the team topped their group ahead of PSV Eindhoven, Chornomorets Odessa and Dinamo Zagreb to become the first Bulgarian team to win a UEFA Europa League group. They beat Lazio 4-3 on aggregate round of 32, which included a famous 1-0 away win in Rome, before being eliminated by Spanish giants Valencia in the round of 16.

The view from my hotel

The games were played in Sofia as their home ground failed to meet UEFA standards. However the Ludogorets Stadium has been converted into a modern stadium that now meets the UEFA requirements. Three sides of the ground have been completely rebuilt to bring the capacity up to 10,444.

A record attendance equals big queues!

Anticipating a high demand for this game, I got in touch with the club to buy a ticket via bank transfer and it was waiting for me at their box office just down the road from the stadium.

Tonight a ticket in the central section cost 25 lev rather than the normal 15 lev. There were 10,334 in attendance this evening which is a new record for the stadium.

I counted 14 away fans in the corner, plus a couple in the VIP section, and apparently the tickets were provided to Spanish supporters free of charge by the club by way of a thank you.

These hardy souls were rewarded with a 1-0 victory for Espanyol. The game was hardly a classic but an early goal from Victor Campuzano ensured the team from Barcelona top the group at the midway stage. 

It was an early start for me so I retired to my hotel, which happened to be next to the ground, rather than follow the crowd into the city for a nightcap. A great "tick" but sadly the last action on this trip.