CSKA Sofia took all three points at the Stadion Lokomotiv on Wednesday evening, beating Lokomotiv Sofia 2:0 in the sixth round of the First League. The visitors, already sitting second in the table, continued their unbeaten start to the campaign. Lokomotiv, meanwhile, remain winless after nine matches and have now slipped to 13th place with just four points.
James Eto'o opened the scoring in the 38th minute, giving CSKA the lead before half-time. The home side pushed for an equaliser but could not break through. To be fair, Lokomotiv had their opportunities — four shots on target compared to CSKA's eight — but the conversion rate told a different story. The visitors kept their clean sheet and, by then, had already put the result beyond doubt.
CSKA doubled their advantage in the 84th minute when Joel·Zwarts found the back of the net. The goal came late, but it closed the game out comfortably for the away side. Lokomotiv made six substitutions in an attempt to find a response, but the pitch cut up badly and time ran out. Georgi Minchev and Mark Emilio Papazov picked up yellow cards in a frustrated second half.
The statistics paint a picture of a match where Lokomotiv had plenty of possession — 47 per cent — but failed to create clear chances. CSKA registered 86 attacks to their hosts' 71 and shot with greater accuracy. Eight shots on target for the visitors against four for the home side suggests Lokomotiv's efforts went largely unanswered. And here's the thing: when you have that kind of shot ratio and still lose, something is fundamentally broken.
The result extends CSKA's winning run and moves them further clear at the top of the table. Lokomotiv's winless streak continues and the pressure will mount quickly. They have now lost five of nine matches and face a difficult run if they are to climb out of the bottom half.
