Final, 2-2: The referee blows the final whistle. The game ends in a draw.
Liverpool was minutes away from celebrating a much-needed win when Terziev scored the game-tying goal near the 90 minute mark.
The result will frustrate Liverpool, but it’s an apt reflection of how the game unfolded. The Reds led much of the contest, but Ludogorets had the lions’ share of possession and created more scoring chances. If the hosts’ shooting was more accurate, they might even have beaten Liverpool.
The draw ends Ludogorets’ hopes of progressing to the knockout rounds of the Champions League. Liverpool must beat Basel on Tuesday at Anfield in order to continue in European soccer’s elite competition.
That’s all for now and thanks for joining us. Let’s discuss this one on Twitter @NESNsoccer and Facebook. Be sure to keep an eye out for some news, fan reactions, analysis and opinion that is on the way on NESN.com.
90th minute, 2-2: Quixada shoots on goal, but Mignolet saves it.
88th minute, 2-2: Terziev ties it with a late goal.
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The goal came from a corner kick. Wanderson delivered it to the near post, Dyakov headed it to the far post. Johnson rose but didn’t connect with Dyakov’s flick-on, and it continued to Terziev, who headed it home.
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82nd minute, 2-1 Liverpool: Liverpool makes its first substitution, as Moreno replaces Sterling.
82nd minute, 2-1 Liverpool: Quixada misses with a shot from inside Liverpool’s penalty area.
81st minute, 2-1 Liverpool: Sterling receives a pass from Gerrard and is one-on-one with Stoyanov, but the Ludogorets goalkeeper races off his line and makes the save.
81st minute, 2-1 Liverpool: Ludogorets makes its final substitution, replacing Espinho with Hamza.
78th minute, 2-1 Liverpool: Gerrard’s flashing header appeared to hit Marcelinho’s arm, but the referee denies Liverpool’s penalty appeal.
74th minute, 2-1 Liverpool: Ludogorets has Liverpool pinned deep in its own end, but the move ends when Quixada misses the target from just outside the Reds’ area.
72nd minute, 2-1 Liverpool: Ludogorets makes another change. Wanderson enters. Alexandrov exits.
71st minute, 2-1 Liverpool: Sterling leads the counter-attack and slips a pass to Henderson, whose shot wasn’t powerful enough to beat Stoyanov.
Sterling’s speed, tricky dribbling and passing have been causing problems for Ludogorets.
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69th minute, 2-1 Liverpool: Ludogorets makes the first substitution of the game, replacing the goal scorer Abalo with Quixada.
63rd minute, 2-1 Liverpool: Henderson should have doubled Liverpool’s lead but he misses a wide-open goal from close range.
Sterling’s initial cross reached Lambert at the back post. Lambert dove and headed it on goal, but Minev blocked it off the goal line. Henderson ran onto the rebound and missed.
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The goal wouldn’t have counted, as the referee stopped play for a foul on Stoyanov.
60th minute, 2-1 Liverpool: Sterling now is down receiving treatment on what looks like an ankle problem.
58th minute, 2-1 Liverpool: Alexandrov tries to volley a knock-down on goal, but he misses the target.
57th minute, 2-1 Liverpool: The second half has started slowly, as the teams are showing more caution than they did in the barnstorming start to the first period.
55th minute, 2-1 Liverpool: Moti powerfully tackles Sterling, leaving the Liverpool forward in some pain.
48th minute, 2-1 Liverpool: Misidjan dribbles to the Liverpool penalty area and shoots with his right foot, but his effort goes wide of Mignolet’s goal.
46th minute, 2-1 Liverpool: Abalo misses with an early chance.
46th minute, 2-1 Liverpool: The second half is underway.
Halftime, 2-1 Liverpool: That’s the end of the first half. Liverpool leads by one.
Liverpool leads at halftime, despite being outplayed by Ludogorets. Things looked bleak for Liverpool after Abalo’s early goal, but Lambert pulled the Reds from the abyss by scoring five minutes later. Ludogorets then took charge and put the Reds under intense pressure, but Henderson gave the visitors the lead against the run of play.
The Reds’ passing fluency and pressing intensity wasn’t at its best. But they were dangerous on the counter attack and clinical in front of goal, while center backs Skrtel and Toure were assured in their blocks and clearances.
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43rd minute, 2-1 Liverpool: Ludogorets is looking to respond to Liverpool’s go-ahead goal, but the Reds are defending with focus and bravery.
37th minute, 2-1 Liverpool: Henderson puts the Reds in front with a well-taken goal.
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Sterling burst into the Ludogorets’ area and hit a perfectly placed, left-footed cross into the goal-mouth. Henderson arrived and tapped it past Stoyanov from the tightest of angles.
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34th minute, 1-1: Esphinho shoots a free kick from 35 yards out. The shot bounces awkwardly in front of Mignolet, but the Liverpool goalkeeper controls it.
30th minute, 1-1: Manquillo controls a loose header, and shoots on the half-volley, but the well-positioned Stoyanov makes the save.
29th minute, 1-1: Sterling misses the target with a scuffed effort from 25 yards out.
25th minute, 1-1: Marcelinho heads a free kick wide. Mignolet left his line, but failed to make contact with the delivery.
23rd minute, 1-1: Ludgorets has Liverpool under intense pressure, but the Reds’ defense is holding firm. Ludogrets is effectively attacking Liverpool’s flanks, but Toure and Skrtel are holding firm in the center.
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21st minute, 1-1: Ludogrets earns a succession of corner kicks as it looks to seize the initiative.
16th minute, 1-1: Minev has a chance in the Liverpool end but curls his shot high and wide.
14th minute, 1-1: Liverpool is maintaining possession confidently after responding to Ludogorets’ opener. The Reds’ back four, Lucas and Allen are pushing the game into Ludogorets’ half, but the hosts’ compact shape and deep-sitting defense make it hard for Liverpool to turn their possession into scoring chances.
Eighth minute, 1-1: Lambert heads home the game-tying goal.
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Moti and Stoyanov failed to clear Minev’s header from the penalty area, and Lambert capitalized on their hesitation. The Liverpool forward sneaked behind Moti and headed the bouncing ball into the goal.
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It’s Lambert’s second goal in as many games.
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Third minute, 1-0 Ludogorets: Abalo scores, and Liverpool finds itself down early on.
Mignolet stopped Marcelinho’s initial shot, but he spilled the rebound into his goal-mouth. Abalo pounced and smashed it past Mignolet.
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Kickoff: The Champions League game between Liverpool and Ludogorets is underway.
Pregame: Rodgers has restored Toure and Lucas to the starting 11, hoping the experienced duo can improve the structural integrity of Liverpool’s defense.
The move means Gerrard likely will push into an attacking midfield role. Sterling will play closer to Lambert — the lone striker — than he normally would.
2:15 p.m.: Here are the lineups:
Liverpool
Simon Mignolet (22), goalkeeper
Glen Johnson (2), left back
Kolo Toure (4), center back
Martin Skrtel (37), center back
Javier Manquillo (19), right back
Lucas Leiva (21), midfielder
Joe Allen (24), midfielder
Jordan Henderson (14), midfielder
Steven Gerrard (8), midfielder
Raheem Sterling (31), forward
Rickie Lambert (9), striker
Substitutes
Brad Jones (1), goalkeeper
Dejan Lovren (6), defender
Alberto Moreno (18), defender
Emre Can (23), midfielder
Adam Lallana (20), midfielder
Philippe Coutinho (10), midfielder
Fabio Borini (29), striker
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Ludogorets
Vladislav Stoyanov (21), goalkeeper
Yordan Minev (25), left back
Cosmin Moti (27), center back
Georgi Terziev (55), center back
Junior Caicara (80), right back
Svetoslav Dyakov (18), midfielder
Fabio Espinho (8), midfielder
Marcelinho (84), midfielder
Mihail Aleksandrov (7), forward
Virgil Misidjan (93), forward
Dani Abalo (17), striker
Substitutes
Milan Borjan (26), goalkeeper
Alexandre Barthe (5), defender
Aleksandar Aleksandrov (15), defender
Anicet (12), midfielder
Wanderson (88), midfielder
Juninho Quixada (11), midfielder
Younes Hamza (99), striker
12:30 p.m. ET: Liverpool has traveled from England to Bulgaria only to find itself at a fork in the road.
The Reds face Ludogorets on Wednesday at Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia, Bulgaria, in a high-stakes UEFA Champions League game. If Liverpool wins, it will maintain control of its own destiny, as it looks to progress to the knockout rounds of European soccer’s elite competition. A loss or draw would leave Liverpool depending on other results heading into the final round of games.
Liverpool currently is slumping, having lost four straight games in all competitions and three straight in the Champions League. Manager Brendan Rodgers has marked the Ludogorets game a turning point in a difficult season. Rodgers could recall Jordan Henderson, who missed Sunday’s loss against Crystal Palace with an illness, to the starting lineup. Kolo Toure and Lucas Leiva also could feature.
Liverpool’s confidence is low, but Ludogorets’ is not. The hosts are currently second in Bulgaria’s A Group (first division) and they have won nine out of 13 home games this season. However, Wednesday’s game won’t take place at Ludogrets Arena in Razgrad, Bulgaria. Instead, Ludogorets must host the Reds at the larger Vasil Levski National Stadium — some 205 miles away from its home turf.
The teams were starting their respective Champions League campaigns when they first met — Liverpool won 2-1 on Sept. 16 at Anfield. After four games, they are tied for third on points, but Liverpool leads (by one) on goal difference.
Liverpool-Ludogorets kicks off at 2:45 p.m. Join us right here for all the action from the Vasil Levski National Stadium.
Liverpool-Ludogorets: Reds win, show growing pains >>
Photo by Twitter/@TeleFootball
