Rilski Sportnist Samokov claimed a 2-1 victory over Montana in the Second League's Regular Season fifth round on Saturday. The hosts, sitting 12th in the table with nine points from seven games, took all three points against fifth-placed Montana, who had 11 points. The result keeps the gap between them at two points, though Montana still occupy the higher position.
Montana struck first when they found the net in the sixth minute, and M. Kingsley received a yellow card for his troubles. G. Bozhilov equalised for the hosts just a minute later, and then H. Ivanov put Samokov ahead with a goal in the 14th minute. The hosts were not finished there, with another goal arriving in the 13th minute to extend their lead before Montana could respond.
By then the match had settled into a rhythm that neither side could quite control. Both managers made four changes at half-time, bringing on B. Grigorov, M. Kingsley, E. Panov, and J. Quihunga for the hosts. Montana brought on M. Atanasov in the 60th minute, and E. Martinov's goal in the 68th minute gave the visitors hope. A missed penalty in the 53rd minute had denied them an earlier chance to close the gap.
Montana finished the stronger, but the hosts held firm. E. Martinov's strike in the 68th minute was matched by a substitution for G. Minkov, while G. Bozhilov, G. Karakashev, and H. Ivanov came off in quick succession. Yellow cards for P. Chilikov, M. Balakov, I. Rusinov, and Y. Nenov marked a match that grew increasingly physical as the minutes passed.
And here's the thing about the statistics — Montana had more possession at 54 per cent and more attacks at 89, but they could only manage seven shots on target compared to the hosts' three. The visitors had more corners with seven, yet Rilski Sportnist found the net twice. Shots off target favoured the hosts five to four, suggesting the chances they created were more dangerous.
The result means Montana's unbeaten run in recent form gets tested, having won their last outing 1-0 against Marek. Rilski Sportnist extend their resilience after a mixed week that saw them draw 2-2 with Spartak Pleven and lose 1-0 to Fratriya. The hosts cannot afford another slip if they want to climb away from the bottom half.