2: 2 in the eternal derby: « Levski » equalized to CSKA with two goals in the added time
CSKA and Levski finished 2: 2 in the 165th eternal derby for the Bulgarian football championship in front of 23,000 spectators at the National Stadium « Vasil Levski ». The match was interrupted twice because of Dimki visibility and fighting between the players, a player was hit with a stone threw from the podium, and with two goals in the added time, the « blue » pulled out a point from a virtually lost meeting.
Already in the first minutes of the derby, it became clear that CSKA will be the team that will control the ball more, and Levski will try to hurt his opponent in a counterattack. Alexander Tomash's team retired to the break with a naked lead after a beautiful hit by Ioannis Pitz. In the 40th minute, Christian Dimitrov went wrong and gave the ball to Skrhem, who found Pitas in the penalty area and the cypress with a top blow sent her under the upper beam of goalkeeper Matthew Markovic. A little later, Levski came to a goal scored by Jatat El Jemili, but after a check with VAR, chief judge Radoslav Giengov canceled him for an ambush.
The second half was interrupted for a few minutes due to a thick smoke of the CSKA Dimki used by CSKA audience and threw by Levski fans from a sector in a stone that hits the hand to execute a direct free kick at this moment, and after the renewal of the game Petko, A goal for the Reds. The 19-year-old Levski young man went into the eternal rival several years ago and punished his home club with his beautiful hit.
Due to the interruption of the game, the added time was 9 minutes and then the time came of another reserve – Ilian Stefanov. The Levski striker received the ball from El Gemili with his back to the door of the Reds and uses the underestimation of his personal guard at this point in order to turn and shoot Ivan Dyulgerov for 2: 1. The hit gave wings to the « blue » and they threw themselves to look for a leveling goal in the remaining few minutes. The duel was again interrupted briefly because of a fight between the two teams, of which the result was red cardboard for Fabio Lima from Levski and James Eto'o of CSKA.
Literally in the last seconds, the Brazilian Aldair was left uncovered in front of the penalty area and with a top blow sent the ball for the second time to Dulgerov's door for the final 2: 2. With the winning point, Levski remains second with an asset of 50 points, 7 of Ludogorets leader, which has less. CSKA is in 8th place with 33 points.
« I am proud of my team because we did not deserve to lose this match. In an equal match we paid the price for not being aggressive enough, but we showed a character and returned to a lost match, » said Levski coach Julio Velazquez after the match.
« It hurts like a loss, we controlled things in the first half, after Levski tried to react, but we did not give him a chance to do it, and in the last minutes the emotions with us took a peak. I'm sorry because I would shoot the team a lot ahead, but I am optimistic because we are developing, » said CSKA Tomas.
