CSKA Sofia clinch title in empty stadium
30.4.08, 23:50
CSKA Sofia clinched their 31st Bulgarian league title behind closed doors on Wednesday after a 3-1 win at mid-table Botev Plovdiv with three matches remaining. No spectators watched the match as Botev were serving a two-match ban for crowd violence. Victory secured the title as CSKA now have a 13-point lead over second-placed Levski Sofia, who have four games left.
"It's a pity that we won the title in the absence of the fans,", said CSKA coach Stoycho Mladenov told reporters. "Football is a game for the fans and I think that the Bulgarian Football Union should reconsider its policy. No-one likes to play in such silence."
CSKA's Brazilian striker Nei was on target twice in the first half, netting his third consecutive league double. He opened the scoring with a close-range effort from Romanian midfielder Florentin Petre's right wing cross after 25 minutes.
Georgi Hristov, the league's top scorer, equalised for Botev from the penalty spot in the 32nd minute, taking his tally to 18 for the season. However, Nei restored CSKA's lead with a penalty awarded for a foul on Petre just before halftime and Petre put the result beyond doubt with a fine solo run and a powerful drive in the 85th minute.
CSKA have 71 points from 27 matches, while Levski, who play at Chernomorets Burgas later on Wednesday, are second on 58 points from 26.
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Bulgaria on brink of first finals
29.4.08, 23:44
Norway U19 - Bulgaria U19 0:2
Bulgaria moved within a point of earning a place in the finals of the UEFA European Under-19 Championship as first-half goals from Mihail Aleksandrov and Ismail Mustafa secured a victory against Norway that keeps them top of Group 3 in the Elite round.
Second success
Having opened their campaign with a 1-0 win against Israel on Sunday, Mihail Madanski's side were full of confidence going into their second game at the Lisleby Stadium in Fredrikstad and duly seized the iniative in the 28th minute, Aleksandrov converting a penalty. Although mini-tournament hosts Norway pressed for an equaliser, Mustafa doubled Bulgaria's advantage six minutes before the interval and Norway's elimination was confirmed two minutes into added time at the end of the first period as Andreas Andersen was shown a red card for a foul. Bulgaria are now level with their Matchday 3 opponents Iceland at the top of the standings although their superior goal difference means they will need just a point when the teams meet on Friday to earn a debut finals campaign.
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Tsvetanov bolsters Bulgaria bid
27.4.08, 23:41
Israel U19 - Bulgaria U19 0:1
Bulgaria's bid to reach a first UEFA European Under-19 Championship continued apace after Momchil Tsvetanov's early goal proved enough for victory against Israel in the opening round of matches in Elite round Group 3. The PFC Litex Lovech midfielder scored the only goal at the Lisleby Stadium in Fredrikstad in the eleventh minute as Mihail Madanski's side made a solid start to their campaign with the prize of a place in this summer's final tournament in the Czech Republic on offer.
Bulgaria's next opponents on Tuesday are section hosts Norway, defeated 3-2 by Iceland on Matchday 1, while Israel will attempt to revive their challenge against Iceland the same day.
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Victory edges CSKA (Sofia) nearer title
25.4.08, 23:13
CSKA (Sofia) moved within one victory of their 31st Bulgarian league title with a 4-0 drubbing of Marek (Dupnitsa) on Friday. The Reds, as CSKA are known in Bulgaria, top the table with 68 points from 26 matches and will wrap up the championship if they beat mid-table Botev (Plovdiv) on Wednesday. Brazilian striker Nei scored twice, with the other goals coming from Romanian midfielder Florentin Petre and Yordan Yurukov.
Levski (Sofia), CSKA's bitter rivals, are second on 58 points with four games remaining.
Champions Levski kept alive their slim title chances with a 4-0 home win over Pirin Blagoevgrad (Blagoevgrad).
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Hristov's goals have Canaries singing
15.4.08, 11:24
Georgi Hristov will look to justify the optimism of a generation of PFC Botev Plovdiv fans as he leads the Canaries in the Bulgarian Cup semi-finals on Wednesday. At 23, Hristov is enjoying his first season in the top division, topping the goalscorers table with 16 strikes to date.
Botev predecessors
Having helped Botev to reach the cup semi-finals for the first time since 1995, he may now follow Botev predecessors Ivan Sotirov (1961), Georgi Slavkov (1981), Antim Pehlivanov (1983) and Atanas Pashev (1986) in finishing the season as Bugaria's top striker.
Three goals clear
With six games to go until the end of the season, Hristov is three goals ahead of his nearest challenger, PFC Lokomotiv Sofia's Martcho Davtchev, and with his side tenth in the 16-team table, is hungry for success. "I will not hide my ambition to become the league's top goalscorer," said Hristov. "I am doing my job and it would be a fantastic achievement for me."
Great striker
Long regarded as the best team outside the Bulgarian capital, Botev have been waiting for a new world-class striker to emerge at the club since Slavkov won the European Golden Shoe for his 31 goals in the 1980/81 season, when the club were known as FC Trakia Plovdiv. Now, with the emergence of the impressive Hristov, the Canaries' gain may be the music world's loss.
Musical family
The scion of a musical family, Hristov's father and grandfather are both musicians, while his brother Hristo Hristov is the guitarist in Bulgarian grunge band P.I.F. Young Georgi too seemed destined to perform until, on the way to study Mozart and Beethoven at a piano lesson, he passed by PFC Maritsa Plovdiv's stadium and decided to swap music for football.
Big discovery
Maritsa is famous as the club that nurtured the young Hristo Stoitchkov - Bulgaria's greatest player - and the same coach that spotted the irascible legend, Ognyan Atanasov, also recognised Hristov's ability. After impressing at Maritsa, Hristov joined Botev in the summer of 2007, helping to forge an exciting attacking side alongside strikers Georgi Kakalov and Dormushali Saidhodzha.
Litex tie
Now Botev face PFC Litex Lovech in the semi-finals on Wednesday. "We will go to Lovech looking to reach the final," he said. "We hope our fans will come in numbers and give their support. The draw is obviously hard for us, but we are confident of making an upset. I have achieved so much because of my team-mates. They have helped me a lot and the atmosphere inside the team is excellent."
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