Having picked up just a single point from their opening six games this term, Rangers knew even a perfect ending to the UEL league phase wouldn’t be enough to see them progress to the knockout stages.
With little more than pride to play for, Danny Röhl’s side started on the front foot, as Youssef Chermiti saw a low effort thwarted by Hendrik Bonmann and Mikey Moore blazed wastefully over the bar from 12 yards.
After a cagey opening 20 minutes, Ludogorets grew into the contest, and they should’ve taken the lead when Petar Stanić’s close-range strike was brilliantly saved by the legs of Jack Butland.
Grateful for that reprieve, the hosts broke the deadlock shortly after, with Thelo Aasgaard’s neat flick in the box finding Diomande, who clinically finished beyond Bonmann for his second goal of the season.
With Ludogorets’ first six league phase matches producing a competition-high 25 goals, further action always looked likely, and the visitors nearly fell further behind at the start of the second period.
Nicolas Raskin twice went close for the hosts, while Moore dinked a disappointing effort into the arms of Bonmann when well-placed in the box.
Chances continued to flow with time ticking into the final half-hour, as Stanić saw another strike denied by Butland, while at the other end, Bonmann produced a superb save to thwart substitute Findlay Curtis.
Unbeaten in their prior eight outings across all competitions (W6, D2), Ludogorets looked to up the ante in pursuit of a late equaliser, but Son could only scuff an effort across the face of goal, before Caio Vidal’s powerful drive was repelled by Butland at the near post.
Ultimately, the hosts saw out the victory to extend their unbeaten run on home soil to nine matches (W7, D2), while the Bulgarian side suffered a significant blow to their play-off hopes.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Nicolas Raskin (Rangers)