Fenerbahce beat Bulgarian side Ludogorets 3-1 in Conference League

By Selcuk Bugra Gokalp

Istanbul club Fenerbahce maintained their perfect run in the UEFA Europa Conference League with a win over Bulgarian side Ludogorets 3-1 in the Group H game on Thursday at home.

Having started the 2023/2024 season flawlessly, Fenerbahce won 17 consecutive games before coming into Ludogorets match.

Fenerbahce manager Ismail Kartal picked mainly a rotating squad, giving chances to substitute goalie Irfancan Egribayat, defender Oosterwolde, and striker Mitchy Batshuayi, along with others.

A win for Fenerbahce meant 3-for-3 for the Turkish side, and Batshuayi brought the lead to the hosts in the 42nd minute at Sukru Saracoglu Stadium in Istanbul.

Fred's through ball eventually left Batshuayi alone with the Ludogorets goalkeeper, and the Belgian made no mistake.

Fenerbahce continued their pressure for a second goal and they found what they were looking for just seven minutes into the second half.

Dusan Tadic's classy one-touch through ball found Oosterwolde, who placed a low cross in front of the Ludogorets goal and Miha Zajc followed the parry and scored.

In the 65th minute, Ludogorets' corner created danger and Fenerbahce defender Rodrigo Becao deflected a shot beyond his goalkeeper, bringing the score to 2-1.

In the dying minutes, Fenerbahce scored the match-sealing goal, thanks to a quick counter orchestrated by Irfancan Kahveci's curved through ball, followed by Sebastian Szymanski's brilliant dribbling and Zajc's shot.

With this victory, the Yellow Canaries reached three wins out of three matches in the competition and continued to lead Group H standings with 9 points, while Ludogorets placed third with 3 points.

The win also meant the 18th victory for the Turkish side this season in all competitions, maintaining the flawless run.