Derry City trail CSKA Sofia after tight Europa League first leg

By Brian Otieno — 9 July 2026 — 4 min read

Derry City are currently trailing CSKA Sofia following a closely contested first leg in the UEFA Europa League qualifiers. The match, played in Sofia, saw the home side secure a narrow lead, despite a determined effort from Derry City.

The atmosphere in Sofia was intense, with CSKA Sofia dominating the initial stages of the game. Their early pressure on Brian Maher, Derry City‘s goalkeeper, included attempts from Pittas and Petko Panayotov, who both came close to scoring.

CSKA Sofia‘s persistence was rewarded in the 20th minute when Pittas delivered a curling strike that found the top corner of the net, opening the scoring. This goal, however, seemed to ignite Derry City‘s attack.

Just 11 minutes after conceding, Derry City equalised. Liam Boyce capitalised on a free-kick from Michael Duffy, finding space and sending the ball into the net to level the score. The game continued with stylish goals from both sides.

Jordao then restored CSKA Sofia‘s lead. After receiving a pass from Stefano Sensi at the edge of the box, Jordao unleashed a powerful shot that beat Maher. The home side’s advantage was further extended after the restart.

A well-executed move involving Pittas and Pastor caught the Derry City defence off guard, allowing Pittas to score his second goal of the evening. This put CSKA Sofia in a stronger position.

New signing Nick Twisk made an immediate impact for Derry City after coming on. He won possession and passed to Duffy, whose flick-on was converted by Boyce. However, the goal was disallowed as Boyce was deemed offside in the build-up.

Twisk continued to impress, contributing defensively by thwarting an effort from Stefano Sensi. CSKA Sofia pressed for a more comfortable lead, with Patrick McClean diverting another shot from Sensi, and Jordao firing wide.

Previous Encounters and Squad Details

This is not the first time these two teams have met in the Europa League qualifiers. In 2009, Derry City faced CSKA Sofia in the third qualifying round. CSKA Sofia progressed after a 1-0 victory in the Bulgarian capital and a 1-1 draw in the return leg at the Brandywell.

CSKA Sofia has made significant investments in their squad. They spent €6.2m on rebuilding their team, with the most expensive acquisition being Argentine striker Santiago Leandro Godoy, who joined for a reported fee of €1.8m from Beroe. Godoy scored 13 league goals last season.

Midfielder Bruno Jordão, formerly of Braga, Wolverhampton Wanderers, and Lazio, secured his role in the deep midfield after a €500k transfer from Radomiak Radom. Other notable players include Cameroonian international James Eto’o, who contributed four goals and ten assists last season, and Brazilian defender Pastor, who made an €800k switch from Portuguese side Farense.

CSKA Sofia‘s number ten, Maks Ebong, has made 58 appearances for Belarus and was acquired for €425k in January. Recently, CSKA Sofia announced the signing of former Inter Milan, Sassuolo, Sampdoria, and Monza midfielder Stefano Sensi from Cypriot side Anorthosis for a fee between €200k and €300k. The 30-year-old Italian international has 150 Serie A appearances.

Striker Joel Zwaarts also joined CSKA Sofia for €500k ahead of the new campaign. The team’s overall squad value is estimated at €26.95m. CSKA Sofia typically lines up in a 4-3-3 formation, focusing on high intensity and dynamism rather than possession. At home, they aim to dominate the ball, with Jordão shielding the defence behind Eto’o and Ebong.

The club also plans to move into the newly reconstructed 18,500 capacity Bulgarian Army Stadium. During the reconstruction, they have been playing at the 43,000 capacity Vasil Levski National Stadium. CSKA Sofia‘s sturdy defence conceded the third-fewest goals in the league last year, featuring Brazilian Pastor at right-back and Ángelo Martino on the other side. Teodor Ivanov, a 22-year-old centre-back, earned his senior Bulgaria debut after an impressive 2025-26 campaign, while his centre-back partner Adrián Lapena was a €700k arrival from Córdoba.

Looking Ahead

During a frantic final 10 minutes of the first leg, Derry City pushed forward, but neither James McClean nor James Olayinka could keep their efforts on target. However, there was one more goal to come.

CSKA Sofia failed to clear a Derry City corner, allowing Olayinka to head home. This late goal kept Derry City‘s European aspirations alive, reducing the deficit ahead of the return leg.

The winner of this tie will advance to face the victor between Qarabağ FK of Azerbaijan and Vestri of Iceland in the second round of the UEFA Europa League. The losing team will enter the second round of the UEFA Conference League, where they will face Croatian side HNK Rijeka.

In their four preseason games following the end of the 2025-26 season, CSKA Sofia secured victories against Slovenian side NK Brinje Grosuplje with a score of 2-1, Polish outfit OKS Odra Opole with a 3-2 win, and FC Marek 1915 of Bulgaria with a 3-0 result. Their only defeat was a 4-0 loss to Ukrainian side Polissya Zhytomyr, a team that had previously beaten Derry City 2-1 in a friendly back in January.

Source: bbc.com