1 – 3
“Dor Peretz broke the deadlock for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 12th minute, giving the Israeli side the away goal they craved and effectively forcing CSKA Sofia to score three times to advance on aggregate.”
Pivotal“Ester Sokler doubled Maccabi's lead on the night with a clinical finish assisted by Osher Davida, effectively putting the tie beyond CSKA Sofia's reach and ending any lingering hope of a home comeback.”
Pivotal“Stefano Sensi gave CSKA Sofia a lifeline with a goal that suddenly made it 1-2 on the night, briefly reigniting the crowd and putting pressure back on Maccabi with 24 minutes remaining.”
“Any hope CSKA had built through Sensi's strike was immediately extinguished when Fedor Lapoukhov turned the ball into his own net just three minutes later, giving Maccabi a 1-3 lead on the night and sealing a dominant aggregate victory.”
Pivotal
CSKA Sofia
Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Tel Aviv were thoroughly in command across both legs, and Thursday's second leg in Sofia underlined why they deserved to progress on a 4-3 aggregate. With 65% possession and 16 shots to CSKA's nine, the Israeli side controlled the tempo from the first whistle, going ahead through Dor Peretz inside 13 minutes to extinguish any slim hope the hosts harboured of a dramatic turnaround. CSKA briefly threatened to make things uncomfortable when Stefano Sensi pulled one back on 66 minutes, cutting the deficit on the night to 2-1 and raising the decibel level inside the stadium, but any momentum they built was brutally snuffed out just three minutes later when Fedor Lapoukhov's own goal restored Maccabi's two-goal cushion on the night. Ester Sokler's clinical finish in the 61st minute, assisted by Osher Davida, had already done significant damage, and Maccabi's ability to punish CSKA at key moments — converting five of their shots on target while limiting the hosts to three — told the story of a team that were simply more composed when it mattered across a combative, card-strewn contest.
How entertaining was this match?
Corner awarded.
Max Ebong Ngome receives a yellow card.
Corner awarded.
Substitution: Kevin Andrade Navarro comes on for Ido Shahar.
Elad Madmon receives a yellow card.
Issouf SissokhoYellow CardIssouf Sissokho receives a yellow card.
Elad Madmon is on, and Osher Davida is off.
Sayd Abu Farhi is on, and Ester Sokler is off.
Corner awarded.
On Mohamed Brahimi, off Andrey Yordanov.
Goal! An own goal by Fedor Lapoukhov makes it 1-3.
On comes Joel Zwarts, off goes Santiago Leandro Godoy.
Goal! Osher Davida scores, making it 1-3, assisted by Helio Varela.
Goal! The score is now 1-2.
Corner awarded.
assist: Osher Davida
Goal! Ester Sokler scores to make it 0-2, assisted by Osher Davida.
Stefano SensiYellow CardStefano Sensi receives a yellow card.
Noam Ben Harush comes on for Mohamed Aly Camara.
First half ends with a score of 0-1.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Mohamed CamaraYellow CardYellow card shown to Mohamed Aly Camara.
Yellow card issued to Ioannis Pittas.
Corner awarded.
Goal! Dor Peretz scores to make it 1-0.
Kick-off! The referee is Daniel Schlager.
CSKA Sofia head into the second leg of this Europa League third qualifying round tie with a commanding 3-0 aggregate advantage after a dominant first-leg display. Maccabi Tel Aviv, unable to host in Israel and already stunned on their temporary home turf, must now produce a historic comeback at the Vasil Levski Stadium to stay alive in European competition. The aggregate scoreline makes this a near-formality for the Bulgarian side, but Maccabi have nothing to lose.
