Beninese international Olivier Verdon and his club Ludogorets are out of the Champions League in the second round of qualifiers. The Bulgarian club was eliminated by Olimpija Ljubljana after an exciting second leg match.
After a draw (1-1) in the first leg, Ludogorets traveled on Tuesday evening to Olimpija Ljubljana for the second leg of the second qualifying round for the next edition of the Champions League. Starting the match, Beninese international Olivier Verdon could not prevent his team’s defeat (2-1), which meant elimination. The hero of the match was the Ljubljana goalkeeper, who saved a penalty in the 101st minute, securing their qualification.
Ludogorets took the lead in the 15th minute thanks to Kiril Despodov. However, the home team equalized shortly after through Timi Max Elsnik (1-1, 19th minute). In the dying moments of the second half, the hosts took the lead with another goal from Timi Max Elsnik, who completed a brace (2-1, 90+2). Olimpija was on the verge of victory against Ludogorets, a team experienced in the final stages of European competitions.
As the five minutes of added time were coming to an end, the referee made the heavy decision to award a penalty to Ludogorets in the 101st minute. Kiril Despodov stepped up to the penalty spot and placed a low shot to the left side of the goalkeeper. Matevz Vidovšek, the 23-year-old Slovenian goalkeeper, then made a perfect dive and an extraordinary save.
The referee signaled the end of the match immediately, and the 23-year-old Slovenian goalkeeper, who had already celebrated this crucial save with his teammates, ran across the field before gracefully sliding in front of the supporters of the Slovenian capital club. Olimpija Ljubljana had never gone this far in the Champions League. The club will face Galatasaray in the next round.
