RAZGRAD, Bulgaria (Interstat) — Pieros Sotiriou scored twice and Ludogorets cruised to a 4-0 victory over Shamrock Rovers on Sunday, May 17, 2026, in a UEFA Champions League match at Huvepharma Arena.

Sotiriou, a 6-foot-1, 178-pound attacker from Nikosia, Cyprus, opened the scoring in the 25th minute off an assist from Cauly Oliveira Souza. He struck again in the 35th minute, this time with Stefano Fiore providing the helper. Ludogorets added a third goal in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time, when substitute Igor Thiago Nascimento Rodrigues scored off another assist from Fiore.

Cauly, a 5-foot-7, 149-pound midfielder from Porto Seguro, Brazil, played the full 90 minutes and recorded one assist.

The match featured five yellow cards. Shamrock Rovers forward Rory Nicholas Gaffney was booked in the 47th minute. Ludogorets midfielder Manuel Luís da Silva Cafumana received a yellow in the 53rd minute, followed by teammate Rick Jhonatan Lima Morais in the 57th. Shamrock Rovers midfielder Richard Patrick Towell was cautioned in the 59th, and Ludogorets defender Neuciano de Jesus Gusmão picked up a yellow in the 86th minute.

Sotiriou was named the top star for Ludogorets.

With the win, Ludogorets improved to 4 wins, 2 losses and 2 draws in the competition. The Bulgarian side entered the match after a 4-2 defeat at Servette on May 10 and a 3-1 loss at Servette on April 26. Earlier in the season, Ludogorets registered wins over Ferencvarosi TC, Nice, AD Ceuta FC, Shkendija, Rijeka and Dinamo Minsk, among other results. Their overall record across all competitions now stands at 9 wins, 11 losses and 5 draws.

Shamrock Rovers fell to 1 win and 1 loss in the Champions League. The Irish side had most recently lost 1-0 at Derry City FC on Jan. 31 and defeated Hamrun Spartans 3-1 on Dec. 18. Their other results this season included losses to UMF Breioablik, Shakhtar Donetsk, Celje, AC Sparta Praha and Ballkani, as well as draws against St Patrick’s Athletic, AEK, Santa Clara and Saint Joseph’s. Their overall record across all competitions is 7 wins, 9 losses and 4 draws.

Ludogorets’s next scheduled match is the return leg against Shamrock Rovers, also on May 17 — though the fixture list indicates the same date, likely a two-legged tie already completed.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Ludogorets 1, Shamrock Rovers 1. Interstat’s ELO system gave Ludogorets an 86.20 percent probability to win.