Bulgaria round-up: Resounding win keeps CSKA clear

PFC CSKA Sofia maintained their seven-point lead at the top of the Bulgarian Premier League with a resounding 8-2 win at PFC Chernomorets Burgas.

Gargorov involved
CSKA midfield player Emil Gargorov was instrumental in the win, despite opening the scoring with a 13th-minute own goal. However, he equalised six minutes before half-time with a well-taken free-kick, and then gave his side an interval lead from the penalty spot after Velizar Dimitrov had been fouled.

Comprehensive success
Six minutes into the second half it was 3-1 as defender Aleksandar Tomash headed into the net, and seven minutes later Joao Paulo Brito added a fourth. Despite losing Yuri Ivanikov to a second yellow card, Chernomorets pulled a goal back through Petar Kolev, but further strikes from Gargorov, a Velizar Dimitrov penalty, Todor Yanchev, and Brito completed an emphatic victory.

Three-goal margin
Second-placed PFC Levski Sofia also won, with goals from Garba Lawal, Mourad Hdioud and Todor Kolev earning a comfortable 3-0 derby success against PFC Litex Lovech.

Narrow victory
PFC Slavia Sofia moved into third place following Litex's defeat with a narrow 1-0 home win against PFC Naftex Burgas, with Hristo Gerogiev's 47th-minute strike proving decisive.

Late winner
PFC Lokomotiv Plovdiv also maintained their challenge for a European place, with an injury-time goal from Martin Kamburov earning them a 2-1 away win at PFC Dobrudzha Dobrich. Petar Kolev had opened the scoring for Lokomotiv after five minutes, but Krass Kondev levelled for Dobrudzha eight minutes before half-time, while Lokomotiv's Vancho Trayanov and Georgi Kichukov of Dobrudzha were both sent off in the first half.

Three for Spalevic
Elsewhere, Serbian striker Darko Spalevic scored a hat-trick as PFC Cherno More Varna eased past PFC Lokomotiv Sofia 3-0, with Lucio Wagner contributing assists for all three goals, while a penalty from Amiran Mudjiri added to goals from Angel Stoykov and Toni Pitoska gave PFC Marek Dupnitsa a 3-0 home win against PFC Spartak Varna.

Important win
PFC Botev Plovdiv moved further away from relegation trouble with a 2-1 defeat of PFC Rilski Sportist in a match that was played at CSKA's Bulgarska Armia stadium due to Botev's ban from their home ground. Botev's Borislav Dimitrov opened the score after 26 minutes with a fine lob, but it looked as though the points would be shared when Stoian Terziev scored an own goal with four minutes left, only for Borislav Dimitrov to score the winning goal in the final minute.