CSKA thrashed Levski 3-0 in the Eternal Derby in the 13th round of the First League and moved to the top of the standings. Max Ebong, Ioannis Pittas and Jean-Philippe Gbamin scored the goals for the “Reds” at the Vasil Levski National Stadium.
The match was the first between the two Sofia-based teams for top spot in the league in 17 years. Before the game, Levski had 32 points, while CSKA had 31. Following the victory, Markus Gisdol’s side moved to 34 points and topped the table, while Julio Velasquez’s team remained on 32.
Two goals in the first half
CSKA took the lead in the 8th minute. Teodor Ivanov broke down the right flank and crossed to Max Ebong, who met the ball on the run and gave Svetoslav Vutsov no chance to react.
In the 16th minute, the lead became 2-0. Stefano Sensi found Ioannis Pittas, and the Cypriot striker unleashed a shot from around 20 metres. The ball went between Kristian Dimitrov’s legs and caught the Levski goalkeeper by surprise.
The hosts had a chance to reduce the deficit. Reynaldo found himself one-on-one with Fyodor Lapoukhov, but the CSKA goalkeeper closed down the angle and saved the shot. At the end of the half, Kristian Dimitrov fired wide after a dangerous ball into the penalty area.
Gbamin put the seal on the derby
CSKA scored a third goal in the 58th minute. Following a rehearsed corner-kick routine, the ball reached Jean-Philippe Gbamin, who controlled it and fired powerfully past Vutsov to make it 3-0.
Levski tried to respond but were unable to change the course of the match. Early in the second half, Vutsov first cleared the ball after a misplaced back pass, and a minute later saved a shot from Leandro Godoy. The Argentine striker had another chance, but the “Blues’” goalkeeper intervened once again.
The referee was Nikola Popov, while the VAR official was Dimitar Dimitrov. Before the derby, Gisdol identified the next match as the top priority for his team: “The next match is the most important”.
After the international break, Levski will host Lokomotiv Sofia on 22 November at the Georgi Asparuhov Stadium. On the same day, CSKA will visit Botev Plovdiv at the Hristo Botev Stadium.
Sources: bntnews.bg, gol.bg, bta.bg