CSKA Sofia vs 09.07.26 18:003 – 2Full TimeDerry City — UEFA Europa League: stats, lineups & analysis

Match report

CSKA Sofia edge five-goal thriller against Derry City

CSKA Sofia won 3-2 against Derry City in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League 1st Qualifying Round tie at the National Stadium Vasil Levski, with the home side surviving a late scare after taking control in the first half.

AI-assisted match report written from official match data.

Ioannis Pittas opened the scoring in the 19th minute, but Derry City responded quickly through Liam Boyce, who converted an assist from M. Duffy in the 31st to level at 1-1. CSKA restored their lead before the break when Bruno Jordão, set up by Stefano Sensi, made it 2-1, sending the sides in with the home team ahead at half-time.

Pittas struck again in the 53rd minute, latching onto a pass from Pastor to extend the lead to 3-1 and put CSKA firmly in command. Derry City pushed for a way back and got a late reward when James Olayinka, assisted by Patrick McClean, scored in the 89th minute to make it 3-2, but there was no further comeback before the final whistle.

CSKA dominated general play, holding 67 percent of possession and forcing two shots on target compared to none for Derry City, whose single goal-scoring involvement came from a solitary corner advantage.

Pittas scored twice, opening the match in the 19th minute and restoring CSKA's advantage in the 53rd, proving decisive at both ends of the contest.

CSKA's 67 percent share of possession underlined their control for long spells of the match despite Derry City's late fightback.

CSKA Sofia beat Derry City 3–2 (half-time 2–1).

CSKA Sofia met Derry City in the UEFA Europa League (1st Qualifying Round). Kick-off was Thursday, 9 July 2026, 18:00 UTC at Vasil Levski National Sports Academy. Referee: Visar Kastrati.

Team pages: CSKA Sofia · Derry City · UEFA Europa League

Key moments

19' Goal: Ioannis Pittas — 1–0
31' Goal: Liam Boyce (assist: Michael Duffy) — 1–1
41' Goal: Bruno Jordão (assist: Stefano Sensi) — 2–1
53' Goal: Ioannis Pittas (assist: Pastor) — 3–1
88' Goal: James Olayinka (assist: Patrick McClean) — 3–2

Starting line-ups

CSKA Sofia (4-3-1-2)

21 Fedor Lapoukhov
21 F. Lapoukhov
17 A. Martino
14 Teodor Ivanov
32 F. Rodriguez
2 Pastor
8 Stefano Sensi
6 Bruno Jordão
30 Petko Panayotov
94 I. Solet
28 Ioannis Pittas
9 L. Godoy

Derry City (4-4-2)

Pre-match read

Home rated 1529 vs 1241 — 0.88 expected score Home on 1071 days rest; Away on 720

Model-generated pre-match read. Not betting advice.

About this match

On this page: the CSKA Sofia vs Derry City final score and result, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this UEFA Europa League fixture.

Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.

The full match report above covers the goals, key moments and stats. Explore more on the CSKA Sofia and Derry City team pages or the UEFA Europa League page.

Quick answers

›What was the final score of CSKA Sofia vs Derry City?

CSKA Sofia beat Derry City 3–2 (half-time 2–1).

›Who scored in CSKA Sofia vs Derry City?

Ioannis Pittas (19') for CSKA Sofia; Liam Boyce (31') for Derry City; Bruno Jordão (41') for CSKA Sofia; Ioannis Pittas (53') for CSKA Sofia; James Olayinka (88') for Derry City.

›Where can I watch CSKA Sofia vs Derry City highlights?

This page carries the full match report, stats and lineups for CSKA Sofia vs Derry City; goal clips are added as soon as official highlights are available.

›What is the head-to-head record between CSKA Sofia and Derry City?

CSKA Sofia and Derry City have met 1 time — 1 win for CSKA Sofia, 0 wins for Derry City and 0 draws.