Levski, Lokomotiv (Sf) and CSKA approached the medals with new victories, the shooters Genkov and Kolev were ordered out

The leaders in the championship – Levski, Lokomotiv and CSKA from Sofia, recorded new successes in the 22nd round of TBI “A” group and approached nearer to the medals, as the distance between them remained the same. The champion Levski won against Rodopa (Smolyan) with 3:0 in a match without particular problems for the “blues”. Thus the team of Stanimir Stoilov has 57 points at the top of the ranking and kept its advantage of 3 points before Lokomotiv (Sf) and 6 points before CSKA. In 12th minute Emil Angelov scored the first goal for the hosts, in the team of which a lot of titulars did not play. Miroslav Ivanov centred to the penalty area and after that Nikolai Dimitrov made an excellent kick to Angelov, who sent the ball into the net behind Petrov with a ground kick. Nikolai Dimitrov, who became the star of the match, scored the second goal. The young and technical forwards overcame three players of the hosts in a very interesting way and after that “served” the ball to Emil Angelov, who scored his consecutive goal for Levski in 45th minute. Marian Ognyanov, who entered as a reserve player, made a nice break in 82nd minute. After that he centred to the penalty area and Uchikov from the guests’ team scored a own goal for 3:0.
The team of Lokomotiv (Sf) won a very strategic victory over Litex with 1:0. At “Nadezhda” stadium Marcho Dafchev scored the precious goal for the hosts in 58th minute from a penalty kick. The team of the experienced Stefan Grozdanov pressed its rival from the very beginning of the match and made some very good goal situations. But the scorer of the elite Tsvetan Genkov this time was scattered and inexact in his hits. The young national player was also very nervous even after he was given a yellow card in 12th minute. He did not draw a lesson and in 42nd minute he was given a red card by the referee from Luxembourg Luck Wilmes. Right after that Litex made their first dangerous goal situation: Petar Zanev centred but Junior shot the ball with his head over the goal. After the break the game was unexpectedly calm and slow. In 58th minute the referee Luck Wilmes awarded a penalty kick for the team of Lokomotiv for a fault made by Rosen Kirilov against Ivan Paskov. The experienced Marcho Dafchev easily got over the defence of the young doorkeeper Todorov - 1:0. The guests from Litex tried to change the status quo. The strategist Liupko Petrovich entered into game Krum Bibishkov, Ivelin Popov and Petar Zlatinov but the play of the team did not change particularly. Yet in 86th minute the guests could equalise but the doorkeeper Golubovich cleared the ball out of the goal-line after a great confusion in the penalty area. “If the team plays against me, I will leave", Liupko Petrovich, the very disappointed head coach of the Lovech team, announced. "In my long career I have not seen a team that plays so languid as my footballers played today. I do my job as a coach honestly and uprightly and I do not understand why it so happened", added Petrovich, who was waiting for the decision of his chiefs for his further career.
CSKA that has fallen into crisis won against Slavia with 1:0 with difficulties at the stadium in “Ovcha Kupel”. After an impersonal first half-time, the “armies” opened the result in 56th minute with a distant hit of Yordan Yurukov. The youth of Pirin, who was a reserve for a long time, shot the ball strongly from a distance, it ricocheted in somebody’s leg and flied into the net of Emil Petrov. The goal additionally made the players nervous and both teams finished the match with decreased number of footballers. Firstly Yordan Todorov from CSKA leaved the football area in 68th minute being given a second yellow card for rough fault. At the end of the match the second sharpshooter in the championship Todor Kolev from Slavia received a red card after a long and unexplainable wild protest against a decision of our top referee Anton Genov. Slavia tried to equalise but Mechechiev wasted the best situation. “It became apparent that we were not ready to play in the cycle Wednesday-Saturday – we were very tired in the last minutes. The most important of this match for us are the three points that we won. Otherwise I am not pleased with the play that we showed – it does not suit for CSKA”, the tutor of the armies Stoycho Mladenov, who watched the match from the tribunes because of a punishment, commented.
The team of Lokomotiv (Pd) recorded a minimum victory with 1:0 against Chernomorets in a match, in which the Plovdiv team was a guest to their own stadium at “Lauta”. Dackson da Silva scored the victory goal in 45th minute. The Brazilian performed a brilliant direct free kick and sent the ball into the upper right corner of Chernomorets’ net. Ivan Marinov’s team had the upper hand during the whole match, but did not succeed to score more goals because of the omissions of Zlatkovski, Kiki and Vandev. The manager of Lokomotiv (Plovdiv) – Alexander Tasev – announced that he would impose a fine on his team to the amount of one premium despite the victory.
The team of Cherno more, being a guest, won against Vihren with 2:0 at the stadium in Sandanski. The "seamen" opened the result in 59th minute when Slavi Zhekov, a reserve who entered into play, sent the ball with a fast diagonal hit in the far corner of the goal of the hosts’ doorkeeper Ventsi Velinov. In 70th minute the defence of Sandanski team let Markus da Silva slip and he scored the second goal for Yasen Petrov’s team. The mentor of the hosts Filip Filipov could not rely on some of his most experienced footballers. Georgi Sheitanov, Stanimir Gospodinov and Gabriel Sichero did not play because of contusions. The midfielder Viktor Sofroniev, who was also a constant part of the titular player, did not play in the match because of a punishment. Belasitsa team succeeded to win a point as a guest of Marek as in the last minute of the match equalized – 1:1. The hosts led in 30th minute with their sharpshooter Enjo Krastovchev, who met with his head a centring of Anjelo Kiuchukov. In 54th minute Georgi Nikolov from the guests was given a red card. In 84th minute Krastovchev could decide everything but he fussed about and missed the moment to kick the ball. The guests equalized in the last minute of the extra-time, given by the referee, with the goal of their ace Markinjos. Beroe, which made a furore with the elimination of CSKA for the Cup of Bulgaria, reached a difficult victory as a host with 1:0 against Spartak (Vn). The Croatian defender Boyan Tarkulia scored the goal for the “Greens” in 13th minute, when Daniel Mitev centred from a free kick, the captain Vanya Dzeferovich hit with his head. The doorkeeper of the guests cleared the ball with last efforts but the coming defender Tarkulia from Stara Zagora’s team, opened the result with his first goal for Beroe. The rivals tried to alter the result. They exchanged some dangerous kicks but the status quo remained the same till the end of the match and the hosts recorded an important success in their attempt to keep their place in the elite. Botev (Plovdiv) also calmed down for its fate after it won the important three points with the victory over Rilski sportiest with 1:0. Botev had the upper hand at its stadium. The forwards of the hosts Emil Urumov scored a goal, which was cancelled by the referee Hristo Ristoskov because of an off-side. The guests staked on counter-attacks but the hosts did not allow them to complete them. The forward of Riletso Stefan Kostadinov was ordered out for a second yellow card because of stupid faults in the penalty area of the hosts in the extra time of the first half-time, given by the referee. Thus additionally gave wings to Botev and in 49th minute Georgi Avramov ran from the right, centred towards Urumov, who met the ball with leg, then the ball hit the upper beam and entered into the net behind the doorkeeper Belo, who otherwise kept the door excellently.