Ghana forward Bernard Tekpetey climbed off the bench to deliver a goal and an assist as Ludogorets sealed their place in the Europa League group stage with a dramatic 4-1 win over KF Shkëndija in Razgrad on Thursday night.
The 27-year-old, who has only just returned from a lengthy injury lay-off, replaced Caio in the 83rd minute and wasted little time in stamping his authority on the play-off decider.
Tekpetey struck in the 98th minute of extra time before teeing up Eric Bille in stoppage time, completing a rousing comeback for the Bulgarian champions.
Ludogorets had trailed 2-1 from the first leg in North Macedonia and, despite first-half goals from Edvin Kurtulus and Ivaylo Chochev putting them in control, Fabrice Tamba’s reply for Shkëndija forced extra time with the tie locked at 3-3 on aggregate.
But Tekpetey’s sharp cameo proved decisive, underlining his return to full fitness and giving Ludogorets fresh attacking options ahead of the 2025/26 season.
By: Pascal Amoah
