Botev beat Lokomotiv Plovdiv 2–0 at the Hristo Botev Stadium in the ninth round of the First League on Sunday. Asen Chandarov opened the scoring in the ninth minute before Mauro Rodrigues added a second just before the break. The result leaves Botev on 13 points in sixth place, while Lokomotiv remain at the bottom of the table with 6 points from 9 games.
Chandarov's strike came early, and to be fair, Botev looked sharper in those opening exchanges. Lokomotiv had more possession—62 per cent compared with 38—but the visitors struggled to find the target, managing just 3 shots on goal against Botev's 5. And here's the thing: matches like this are often decided by moments, not territory.
By then the game had settled into a rhythm. Lokomotiv dominated the corners, 7 to 2, and completed more attacks—104 versus 98—but accuracy told the real story. Their shots hit the target only 30 per cent of the time, while Botev's accuracy stood at 71 per cent. Three yellow cards for the hosts and two for the visitors marked a physical contest.
We had tipped a home win before kick-off, confidence 45 per cent, and the prediction held up. Botev's efficiency from limited chances—only 2 off-target shots alongside 5 on target—proved decisive. Lokomotiv's front line, featuring players like Ryan Leijten and Milan Petrović, never quite clicked despite the possession advantage.
The substitutions came in waves. Christ Longville and Sevi Idriz replaced each other at 46 minutes, while Todor Pavlov came on for Lokomotiv at 51. Samuil Tsonov, who had picked up a yellow card at 56, was replaced at 63 alongside Carlos Meotti. The pattern continued with Efe Ali, Mauro Rodrigues, Ryan Leijten and Samuel Kalu among those brought on.
The result shifts nothing dramatic in the table, but for Botev it breaks a streak of mixed results. They had lost to Levski Sofia and Botev Vratsa in their previous two outings, then picked up a 3–2 win over Arda Kărdzali before this. Lokomotiv, meanwhile, have now lost 7 of 9 games and sit 11th, 7 points off safety with 14 rounds remaining.