Botev Plovdiv vs Arda Kardzhali

The opening quarter-hour produced little in the way of clear chances, but Botev broke the deadlock in the 20th minute. Captain Nikola Iliev swung in a corner from the right, Arda goalkeeper Anatoli Gospodinov failed to deal with the delivery, and Carlos Algarra powered a header into the empty net from the far post.

Samuil Tsonov rattled the side-netting from a tight angle in the 35th minute — though the flag was up for offside — before Preslav Bachev forced Hristiyan Slavkov into a save at the other end. Samuel Kalu then embarked on a driving solo run and drew a routine stop from Gospodinov just before the break.

Botev made multiple changes at half-time, and the reshuffled lineup took time to find its rhythm. Birsent Karagaren tested Slavkov from distance in the 48th minute, and after Pedro Igor skinned two defenders only to fire wide, the momentum swung Arda's way.

In the 58th minute, Karagaren was brought down by Slavkov inside the box — the referee pointed to the spot, and Karagaren stepped up to send the goalkeeper the wrong way, tucking the penalty into the bottom-left corner to make it 1-1.

Veliyan Vidolov drilled a 20-yard effort wide in the 66th minute, and Nikolay Prandzhev — on as a second-half substitute — saved a long-range shot in the 84th minute as the game appeared headed for a draw.

But Botev snatched the winner with two minutes of normal time remaining. Vidolov fed the ball right to Williams Chimezie, whose cross was met by a clever backheel flick from Dimitar Tonev — making his first appearance since returning to the club — and Ifenna Dorgu was on hand at the back post to steer the ball home from close range.

The tactical reshuffle after half-time initially played into Arda's hands. Botev's wholesale changes disrupted their cohesion, allowing Karagaren to exploit space between the lines and win the penalty that seemed to swing the contest. However, Genchev's introduction of Tonev and Dorgu — two new attacking options — restored penetration. Tonev's instinctive backheel assist was the moment of quality that Arda, fielding an entirely different XI in the second half, could not match.

• Carlos Algarra — Scored the opener with a well-timed near-post header and covered ground effectively from midfield before being substituted at half-time as part of the planned rotations.
• Birsent Karagaren — Arda's most dangerous player throughout. Won and converted the penalty, forced two saves from Slavkov, and carried the visitors' attacking threat almost single-handedly before being withdrawn on 70 minutes.
• Ifenna Dorgu — Introduced from the bench and produced the decisive contribution, arriving late at the back post to convert the winner.
• Dimitar Tonev — Making his second debut for Botev a decade after his first spell, the forward showed composure and vision to lay on the winning goal with a deft backheel.

The match, played in intense late-June heat with a scheduled drinks break midway through each half, was understandably low-tempo for long stretches — typical of early pre-season. Botev established territorial dominance in the first period (roughly 56% possession) but created only a handful of clear chances beyond Algarra's goal. Arda grew into the game after the interval and had their best spell between the 48th and 65th minutes, culminating in the equaliser. The decisive sequence — Vidolov to Chimezie to Tonev to Dorgu — covered the length of the pitch in four touches, a sharpness that belied the early stages of pre-season.

This was Botev Plovdiv's second pre-season friendly and second win, following a 4-0 victory over Spartak Pleven on 23 June. For Arda Kardzhali, this was their first pre-season outing. Botev's next friendly is against Kosovan side FC Balkani on Saturday 27 June at 20:00 local time at Hristo Botev Stadium. Arda depart for a training camp in Borovets, where they are scheduled to face Rilski Sportist, Lokomotiv Plovdiv, Botev Vratsa and Beitar Jerusalem in subsequent friendlies before the new First Professional League season begins on 18-19 July.

A predictably scrappy early-summer friendly decided by one moment of quality. Botev's depth — particularly the impact of their second-half substitutes — is an encouraging sign for Genchev, while Arda's Aleksandar Tunchev will take heart from a competitive first run-out despite the late defeat. "It's early days," Tunchev told Sportal.bg after the match. "The most important thing is that everyone is healthy. We're focusing on physical conditioning right now."