CSKA Sofia vs OFI — UEFA Europa League: stats, lineups & analysis
Match Events
- 21′OFI, yellow card:Roughing
- 36′OFI, goal:0–1assist
- 40′CSKA Sofia, yellow card:Foul
- 42′CSKA Sofia, yellow card:Roughing
- Half-time0 – 1
- 46′CSKA Sofia, substitution:off
- 46′CSKA Sofia, substitution:off
- 56′CSKA Sofia, substitution:off
- 71′OFI, substitution:off
- 73′CSKA Sofia, substitution:off
- 77′OFI, substitution:off
- 77′OFI, substitution:off
- 78′OFI, goal:0–2assist
- 84′OFI, substitution:off
- 84′OFI, substitution:off
- 84′CSKA Sofia, substitution:off
- 88′CSKA Sofia, yellow card:
- Full-time0 – 2
Lineups
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Key Stats
Top Performers
Goals
Assists
Match report
OFI sees off CSKA Sofia to take control of Europa League play-off tie
OFI secured a 2-0 win away to CSKA Sofia in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League play-off tie at Vasil Levski National Stadium. Thiago Nuss opened the scoring in the 36th minute, assisted by Achilleas Poungouras, giving the visitors a slender lead to take into half-time.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
CSKA Sofia pressed for an equaliser after the break and held the greater share of possession at 56 percent, but they could not find a way through. OFI doubled their advantage in the 78th minute when Giannis Theodosoulakis converted an Ioannis Apostolakis assist to make it 0-2, a scoreline that held until the final whistle.
Despite dominating territory and edging the corner count six to five, CSKA Sofia were outshot on target, with OFI registering seven attempts to their hosts' six. Referee Ivan Kruzliak booked three CSKA Sofia players and one from OFI, with no dismissals on either side.
Theodosoulakis struck the decisive second goal in the 78th minute, turning home Apostolakis' assist to put OFI firmly in command of the tie.
CSKA Sofia held 56 percent of possession yet still finished with fewer shots on target than OFI, a sign the visitors were the more clinical side.
OFI won 2–0 away against CSKA Sofia (half-time 0–1).
CSKA Sofia met OFI in the UEFA Europa League (Play-offs). Kick-off was Thursday, 27 August 2026, 18:00 UTC at Vasil Levski National Stadium. Referee: Ivan Kruzliak.
Team pages: CSKA Sofia · OFI · UEFA Europa League
Key moments
- 36' Goal: Thiago Nuss (assist: Achilleas Poungouras) — 0–1
- 78' Goal: Giannis Theodosoulakis (assist: Ioannis Apostolakis) — 0–2
Starting line-ups
CSKA Sofia (5-3-2)
Sirius · Why these numbers
Before kick-off Sirius gave CSKA Sofia 60%, the draw 22%, OFI 18%. It finished CSKA Sofia 0–2 OFI.
CSKA Sofia's rating edge carries it — CSKA Sofia are the stronger side on our strength rating, and UEFA Europa League home advantage on top gives CSKA Sofia a clear lead. The draw at 22% is trimmed by a league that produces few draws.
Why CSKA Sofia at 60%?
CSKA Sofia sit 119 points higher on our strength rating — 1519 to 1401. Sides with a 100–200-point rating edge at home won 57.1% of 12,744 such games. UEFA Europa League home sides out-perform the global norm — and the difference mostly flows to draws (22.8% vs 24.9% norm). UEFA Europa League homes won 47.5% of 4,426 games vs 44.9% across all 99,396 — outside the noise band, so the tally moves accordingly. The 300 most similar past games finished 48–27–25.
Why only 60%?
No scored evidence points the other way. 60% is what this rating gap has been worth in games like these; the rest is the draw at 22% and OFI at 18%.
Why is the draw only 22%?
With a rating gap this size the draw starts at 24.2%. Not enough recent scoring data to set the goals dial — the draw stays at the class table's rate. UEFA Europa League produces fewer draws than most, taking 2.1 points off.
What did we measure but not count?
CSKA Sofia have shed 68 strength-rating points over their last 10 games. Momentum is measured but not yet proven: sliding sides won 34.7% of 9,664 such games vs 34.5% class-expected — inside the noise band, so it stays at 0 points until the receipt clears its evidence bar. OFI have 2 fully-tracked matches with us — under our usual 25-game bar — but their strength rating is anchored to the long-run European club ratings list, which carries their wider competitive history into the number. Clubs from leagues we don't fully cover play too few tracked games for a record built from scratch, so their rating chain starts from published long-run club ratings instead of a blind first guess.
Sirius probabilities, frozen at kick-off. Analysis, not betting advice. How Sirius is doing this season · Full breakdown, evidence cards and squad news in the Match Insights tab
About this match
On this page: the CSKA Sofia vs OFI 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 OFI team pages or the UEFA Europa League page.