On Monday the Plovdiv team won 3:1 against CSKA, and will spend the winter as the leaders in Group A.
Locomotive Plovdiv reached for the champion?s title with the expressive victory of 3:1 against the team of CSKA. The 15,000 exalted fans were triumphant on the Lauta Stadium after the final signal by the referee Kostadin Kostadinov, which labelled the ?black-and-white? team the autumn leaders. Locomotive Plovdiv will spend their second winter as the leaders ever, the first time being 31 years ago when the then team of football players such as Hristo Bonev, Gocho Vassilev, Tosho Ivanov, etc. finished as leaders the first part of the national championship, and in the end of the seasons got the silver medals. Now Loco (as it is friendly called by fans) is having significantly easier spring-time program, when nine of the fifteen games will be played in Plovdiv, while the rest six will be as guest.
The team, coached by Edward Eranosyan, played like winners and there was no a second of doubt who the winner was going to be? Eranosyan truly surprised his colleague Sasho Stankov by putting Vlado Ivanov on the right back, while sending Georgi Iliev further onward. The two players managed to confuse the unstable defence of CSKA more than once. Greatest contribution for the success of the Plovdiv team undoubtedly had Ekundayo Jayeoba. The Nigerian forward player score two goals and made the central defence of the guest team just ridiculous? The other great player of Locomotive Plovdiv in that game was Ivo Mihailov (the son of the once CSKA legend Stefan Mihailov, who scored the CSKA winning goal against Ajax), made a virtuoso score after a foul, and assisted Jayeoba?s second goal.
The two teams:
Locomotive Plovdiv: V.Kambourov, Paskov, Ivanov, Kotev, Iliev (75 Trayanov), R.Petrov, Kr.Dimitrov, Mihailov (62 Burkanichkov), M.Kambourov, Jayeoba (80 Tounchev), Stoynev
CSKA: St.Kolev, Todorov (77 Antonov), Carlos, Guy, Tomash, Yanchev, Sv.Petrov, Haji (74 Vulkov). Gurgorov, Yanev, Yordanov.
Scorers: 1:0 Jayeoba (5), 1:1 Gurgorov (23), 2:1 Jayeoba (34), 3:1 Mihailov (55)
Eranosyan: What happened ? didn?t you think we were supposed to lose?
?Before the game there were lots of opinions we were going to lose. But we didn?t. We won due to our strong will, courage and ambition. It is always so difficult to play against CSKA and this game was no exclusion. We were better as a team and we deserved to win. Now some are trying to blame the referee for the CSKA loss? Well, if that makes them feel better ? ok.?
The Locomotive Plovdiv coach admits he is worried only about his players? attitude for the coming springtime games.
?Most of them are young and I am afraid that this success now could make their feet ?heavier?. But I will do my best to avoid it. Otherwise, the games against Slavia and Litex proved our team was far from being unbeatable??
Eranosyan also pointed out that some of the players might leave the team if a profitable offer occurs.
?Some offers are simply difficult to be refused. So, if things get serious and upcoming - well, we could part??