Soccer-Yellow and red cards litter explosive Bulgarian clash

SOFIA, Nov 22 (Reuters) - CSKA Sofia maintained their five-point advantage in the Bulgarian league after a hot-tempered 1-1 draw against champions Ludogorets on Saturday saw two red cards and seven yellow brandished. The heated scenes at the Bulgarska Armiya stadium followed the resignation of Bulgarian referees' chief Nikolay Dzhuganski on Friday after the controversial choice of official for the top of the table clash caused outrage and prompted internet death threats. The Bulgarian FA reacted quickly to withdraw their choice of referee, Nikolay Yordanov, with Tasko Taskov asked to take charge of the eagerly-anticipated game instead. Taskov, predictably, had a tough afternoon, handing out the nine cards and sending CSKA's assistant coach Stoycho Mladenov Jr to the stands for disputing a decision. Centre back Alexander Tunchev headed home from a precise Marquinhos cross to put CSKA in front after 14 minutes before Portuguese midfielder Fabio Espinho equalised with a perfectly-executed free kick in the 37th minute, giving Ludogorets some cheer before hosting Liverpool in the Champions League on Wednesday. Ludogorets's Dutch winger Virgil Misidjan and CSKA's Marquinhos were shown direct red cards in the first half for reckless challenges. The draw leaves CSKA, chasing their first title since 2008, with 37 points from 16 matches, followed by Ludogorets on 32. (Reporting by Angel Krasimirov, editing by Ian Chadband)