Ludogorets make history with 1-0 win over Basel

An unstoppable last-gasp shot from defender Yordan Minev gave Ludogorets a 1-0 victory over 10-man Basel on Wednesday as they became the first Bulgarian team to register a Champions League group stage victory.

In fact, the only previous club from Bulgaria to mix it with Europe's powerhouses, Levski Sofia in 2006, lost all six of their group stage matches.

No wonder Minev, an unlikely match winner, was in a state of disbelief.

"I still can't believe it," he told reporters. "This is my first goal for Ludogorets after three years at the club and it's really important.

"When I have nothing to do with it (the ball), I shoot and it goes in," the 34-year-old added. "I was so tired that I just saw a little space and decided to shoot."

Brazilian team mate Marcelinho was equally shocked.

"It's difficult for him to score even in training but he did it tonight and he gave us the three points," said the midfielder.

Not only did Minev's strike earn victory, it also opened up the possibility of Ludogorets contesting for second spot behind runaway group leaders Real Madrid.

They have three points along with Basel and Liverpool.

The Bulgarians, who impressed against Liverpool and Madrid in their previous matches, signalled their intent with a brilliant header from Marcelinho that forced Basel keeper Tomas Vaclik to save on the stretch after 17 minutes.

Basel's Ivory Coast midfielder Geoffroy Serey Die was then shown a straight red card for a bad foul on Ludogorets's Cosmin Moti, but the visitors still almost took the lead with keeper Vladislav Stoyanov making a brilliant one-handed save to deny Derlis Gonzalez.

Ludogorets rarely looked like making the most of their numerical advantage, although Marcelinho almost broke the deadlock from a precise cross by Fabio Espinho before the break.

In the second half, the hosts pressed forward bravely with Espinho testing Tomas Vaclik with long-range efforts, but their attacks frequently broke down in the absence of a truly top class striker.

Ludogorets coach Georgi Dermendzhiev threw on striker Younes Hamza and winger Virgil Misidjan in the closing stages but they wasted a couple of opportunities as Basel stood firm.

Having played for most of the match with 10 men, the visitors thought they had done enough only for Minev to emerge the hero in the second minute of stoppage time.

It was sweet revenge for Ludogorets as they met Basel in the Champions League playoffs last season with the Swiss champions progressing 6-2 on aggregate.

Next week's clash between the side's in Switzerland could be crucial, although Minev will play no part having picked up a yellow card on Wednesday that means he will be suspended.