Handball finals, a football walkover and local league action

Defending champions Lokomotiv (Gorna Oryahovitsa) beat Shumen 61 by 24:23 (10:9) away in the opening match of the Bulgarian men's handball championship final series.

Shumen 61, who finished first in the regular season, led 4:2 early on but Lokomotiv equalised at 6:6 around the 19th minute after a Shumen player received a red card. The visitors held a 10:9 lead at half-time. A brief altercation between players from both teams occurred during the break, with Shumen representatives complaining about first-half officiating.

Shumen started the second half strongly, building a 16:10 lead after 10 minutes, but Lokomotiv narrowed the gap to one goal (21:20) with eight minutes remaining. The teams drew level at 21:21 in the 54th minute before Lokomotiv scored to make it 24:22. Shumen pulled one back half a minute before the final whistle, but the match ended 24:23.

Shumen 61 hold home advantage in the best-of-three series if a third match is required, having finished first in the regular season. Shumen have won seven Bulgarian titles (1996, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2021, 2022 and 2023), while Lokomotiv claimed back-to-back championships in 2024 and 2025.

Botev Vratsa and Septemvri drew 1:1 in a crucial relegation clash in efbet Liga.

Edni Ribeiro opened the scoring for Septemvri five minutes into the second half, receiving a pass from Yoan Baurenski in the penalty area before dinking past Lazar Boyanov and slotting home with a diagonal shot. Reserve Michi Ntelo equalised for Botev five minutes before the end of normal time, heading in from a Vladislav Naydenov cross.

Both teams played an even match with few clear chances, exchanging one goal apiece in the second half. Botev Vratsa now sit ninth on 44 points, while Septemvri remain in the relegation zone in 14th place on 29 points.

Chavdar 1926 (Divdyadovo) were awarded a 9:0 service win after their Central OFG-Shumen league match against Mladost 2024 (Makak) was abandoned in the 25th minute with the hosts leading 6:0.

Mladost began the match with only eight players. After scoring six quick goals in the opening 25 minutes, Chavdar's dominance prompted a collapse in Mladost's resolve. The visitors' captain was injured first and unable to continue, followed by two more players seeking medical attention minutes later. With fewer than seven players available, referee Martin Martinov abandoned the match.

Under Bulgarian Football Union regulations, official matches cannot proceed with fewer than seven players. The Shumen Regional Football Association will formally award a 9:0 service result to Chavdar 1926.

Elsewhere in the division, Smyadovo beat Lokomotiv (Kaspichan) 5:2, while Toshev (Pravenci) lost 1:4 at home to Enev (Dibich). Septemvri (Dragoevo) lead the standings on 50 points from 19 matches, three ahead of Chavdar 1926.