site.btaFootball Club Arda Kardzhali Secures Its First-ever Away Win in European Competitions

FC Arda Kardzhali secured a 0-1 win over Lithuania's FK Kauno Zalgris in Kaunas on Thursday as part of UEFA Conference League's third qualifying round. This was the Bulgarian team's first-ever away victory in an European competition. The return fixture will be played in a week in Kardzhali, Southern Bulgaria.

In the second minute of the match Kauno Zalgris were left with ten men on the pitch as midfielder Damjan Pavlovic made a cynical tackle against Bulgarian forward Georgi Nikolov - at first the referee showed him a yellow card but a consultation with the VAR officials changed his decision and he sent Pavlovic off with a red. 

The only goal in the match came in the 53rd minute when midfielder Antonio Vutov found the net. 

With a man advantage, Arda held 60% of the ball possession and had advantage both in total shots made (9-4) and in shots on target (4-0). 

If the Bulgarian club manages to reach the final qualifying round of the competition, it will meet Israeli team Maccabi Haifa or Polish club Rakow.