Markus Gisdol entered the history of the Eternal Derby after leading CSKA to a 3–0 victory over Levski. The German became the foreign coach to achieve the most emphatic win for the “Reds” against their eternal rivals, equaling the feat of Rudolf Vytlačil. The match was played on November 8, 2026.
This was CSKA’s third victory over Levski with a foreign coach. Before Gisdol, Bruno Akrapović won the derby 1–0 in December 2020, while Grigoriy Pinaychev led the “Reds” to a 3–2 victory in the 1965 Bulgarian Cup final.
Rudolf Vytlačil had previously held the record outright for the most convincing victory by a foreign coach in a match between CSKA and Levski. The Czechoslovak specialist led the “Blues” to a 3–0 victory over CSKA in April 1965.
Vytlačil was a World Cup runner-up with Czechoslovakia at the 1962 tournament in Chile. Gisdol’s achievement is therefore now level with that of a coach associated with one of the strongest periods in Levski’s history.
The 3–0 victory had another notable feature. Three foreign footballers scored for CSKA—Max Ebong, Ioannis Pitas and Jean-Philippe Gbamin.
This was only the second such instance in the history of the Eternal Derby. The first came on April 27, 2014, when CSKA won 3–1. The goals were scored by Norwegians Olaus Skarshem and Jonathan Lindseth, as well as Colombian Marcelino Carreazo.
Levski also have an example of this. In the spring of 2026, the “Blues” won 3–1, with the goals scored by two Algerians—Akram Bouras and Mahir Sula—and Brazilian Everton Bala.