Botev Plovdiv won 2-1 at home against Maribor (Slovenia) in the first qualifying round of the Europa League football tournament. Anthony Ujah scored the first goal for Botev. Pijus Sirvys equalized following a goalkeeper's mistake. Minutes after coming onto the pitch, young player Nikola Iliev scored his debut goal for Botev Plovdiv. Thus, Botev recorded their first European victory at the renovated stadium in 29 years. 

15,000 fans of Botev Plovdiv attended the match at the Kolezha stadium. Botev took the lead in the ninth minute. Ten minutes later, Maribor equalized. In the 22nd minute, the referees disallowed a goal for the Slovenians due to offside. The decision was confirmed after a VAR review. In the 75th minute, the Bulgarians took the lead and kept the result until the end of the match. The rematch between the two teams is next Thursday at 21:15 pm at Ljudski vrt stadium in Maribor.