CSKA 1948 secured a comfortable 4:1 victory over Cherno More Varna in the fifth round of the First League at Bistritsa Stadium on Thursday. The hosts took control after a nervy opening, when M. Achi put Cherno More ahead at the tenth minute. Frederic's equaliser from the spot at forty minutes shifted momentum, and CSKA never looked back. Two more goals from Frederic and E. Franco sealed the result, leaving the visitors to watch proceedings from behind.
Cherno More had the better of the first quarter, with Achi's early strike proving the only goal before the interval. Frederic's penalty at forty minutes proved the turning point, and the visitors saw their VAR-approved goal cancelled just before. Three yellow cards arrived before half-time, two for Cherno More and none for the hosts, suggesting a game growing edgy. By then CSKA had pinned them back, and the visitors' attacking threat had diminished considerably.
The second half belonged to CSKA 1948. A. Iliev restored the lead at fifty-two minutes, and Frederic doubled his tally at sixty-three. E. Franco added a fourth at eighty-two, and the visitors had little to show for their possession. Seven shots on target for the hosts against four for the visitors tells the story of who created genuine chances. Cherno More's six defeats in eight league games left them rooted to twelfth place with just four points.
Both managers made several changes, with CSKA bringing on G. Rusev, B. Sobrero, B. Beyhan, N. Zlatev, D. Teles, M. Zemzemi, and Frederic himself. Cherno More introduced P. Vitanov, G. Lazarov, and C. Sidney in an attempt to find something. The statistics showed CSKA dominated attacks with eighty-two to seventy-five, and their five wins in eight league games contrasted sharply with their opponents' struggles.
The result moves CSKA further clear of the relegation zone and extends Cherno More's poor run. Fourteen of the sixteen points available in the previous five matches have gone to the home side, with only a draw against Panathinaikos breaking their recent form. The visitors have now lost six of eight league games and sit twelve points behind the leaders.
CSKA 1948: Diego Medina, Andre Hoffmann, Benaisa Benamar, Moatez Zemzemi, Georgi Rusev, Brian Gabriel Sobrero, Ogren Gashevich, Jules Meyer, Alex Anastasov Bozhev, Petar Vitanov, Frederick Ferreira Maciel.
Cherno More Varna: Zhivko Stanislavov Atanasov, Luciano Gaston Cuadrone, Celso Sidney, Mohamed Achi Buaklin, G. Lazarov, David Teles, Joao Bandaru, B. Beyhan, Nikolai Svetoslavov Zlatev, Ertan Yuzeir Tombak, Kristian Tomov.