CSKA thrash Lokomotiv to go level with leaders
Reuters - Thursday 22 March 2012, 21:30
CSKA Sofia thrashed city
rivals Lokomotiv 4-0 on Thursday to move up to second place in
the Bulgarian championship level on points with surprise leaders
Ludogorets and Levski Sofia.
The top three all have 45 points from 19 matches and are
only separated by goal difference with newcomers Ludogorets,
based in Razgrad, a town of less than 35,000 people, aiming for
the first league title in their 67-year history.
Anton Karachanakov put CSKA in front with a spectacular
curling shot midway through the first half and their Cameroon
midfielder Njongo Priso doubled the lead 15 minutes from time.
Captain Ivan Bandalovski then made it 3-0 with a thunderous
strike from the edge of the area in the 82nd before Brazilian
striker Junior Moraes wrapped up the win with his ninth goal
this season after capitalising on a defensive blunder.
CSKA coach Stoycho Mladenov was left hoarse after urging on
his players at the Bulgarska Armiya stadium and his assistant
Anatoli Nankov replaced him at the post-match news conference.
"I would like to apologise but he [Mladenov] can't speak,"
Nankov said.
Earlier, Cherno More Varna striker Miroslav Manolov got the
fastest goal ever scored in the Bulgarian league after just six
seconds with the first of a hat-trick in a 3-1 win at Montana.
Statisticians said the previous record was held by another
Cherno More player - Brazilian Marcos da Silva, who scored after
12 seconds against Chernomorets Burgas in 2007.
Ludogorets had slumped to only their second defeat this
season on Wednesday, losing 1-0 at Lokomotiv Plovdiv while
Levski won 3-0 at Slavia in the oldest Sofia derby.
Champions Litex Lovech, coached by Hristo Stoichkov, were
held to a 1-1 draw at lowly Beroe Stara Zagora after five
straight victories and are fifth with 38 points, two behind
Chernomorets Burgas who won 4-0 at second-bottom Kaliakra.