CSKA Sofia Advances After Penalty Shootout Victory Against Qarabag
CSKA Sofia 0-0 Qarabag (5-4 on penalties) at Vasil Levski National Sports Academy in Sofia ended goalless over 120 minutes before the Bulgarians held their nerve in the shootout to progress from this UEFA Europa League 2nd Qualifying Round tie. With no league standings data available, the significance here is purely knockout: CSKA advance after a tense, attritional contest decided from the spot.
Match Report
The first half was tight and physical, with the tone set in the 39th minute when Bruno Jordão (CSKA Sofia) received a yellow card for tripping, underlining the hosts’ willingness to disrupt Qarabag’s rhythm.
Immediately after the interval, in the 48th minute, Leandro Godoy (CSKA Sofia) was booked for unsportsmanlike conduct, further illustrating CSKA’s combative approach. Qarabag responded in kind: in the 50th minute, Marko Janković (Qarabag) collected a yellow card for roughing, followed five minutes later, in the 55th minute, by Bence Várkonyi (Qarabag) also going into the book for roughing as duels intensified across midfield.
The first wave of substitutions arrived on 70 minutes for Qarabag, as Renaldo Cephas replaced Kady Borges to add fresh legs and direct running in the attacking midfield line. One minute later, in the 71st minute, CSKA made their own adjustment, with James Eto’o coming on for Bruno Jordão to inject energy and defensive work rate in the middle of the park.
The substitute Eto’o was quickly involved in the disciplinary story: in the 74th minute, James Eto’o (CSKA Sofia) was shown a yellow card for roughing, another example of CSKA’s aggressive defending around the ball.
Qarabag then made a triple change in the 82nd minute to tilt the balance in extra time. Cebrail Makreckis replaced Bədavi Hüseynov, Bruno Langa came on for Elvin Cafarquliyev, and Jaly Mouaddib entered for Olexiy Kashchuk, a clear attempt by coach Qurban Qurbanov to refresh both the back line and creative zones.
CSKA responded in the 89th minute when Joël Zwarts replaced Leandro Godoy, seeking more mobility and penetration up front as the game moved towards added time. Qarabag made another attacking tweak in stoppage time at the end of the second half: in the 90+2' minute, Joni Montiel came on for Abdellah Zoubir to provide a different playmaking profile between the lines.
Early in extra time, the pattern of physical contests continued. In the 95th minute, Ángelo Martino (CSKA Sofia) was booked for holding, reflecting CSKA’s need to contain Qarabag’s wider threats. Four minutes later, in the 99th minute, Martino was withdrawn, with Mohamed Amine Brahimi replacing him to offer fresher legs on the flank.
Qarabag made their final attacking adjustment in the 100th minute, as Musa Qurbanlı came on for Zakaria Sawo to provide a different focal point up front.
As fatigue set in, the cards kept coming. In the 105+3' minute, Teodor Ivanov (CSKA Sofia) received a yellow card for roughing, further adding to the hosts’ tally. Qarabag’s Bruno Langa, already introduced off the bench, was then booked in the 106th minute for roughing, underlining that the visitors were equally willing to break up play. In the 112th minute, Joël Zwarts (CSKA Sofia) saw yellow for unsportsmanlike conduct, rounding off a bruising extra-time period with no breakthrough in open play.
With the score still 0-0 after 120 minutes, the tie moved to a penalty shootout. In the 120+1' minute, Marko Janković (Qarabag) converted from the spot in the shootout, followed immediately by Ioannis Pittas (CSKA Sofia) scoring his penalty at the same 120+1' mark to keep the hosts level.
The decisive swing came at 120+2', when Matheus Silva (Qarabag) missed his penalty in the shootout, handing CSKA an early advantage. Teodor Ivanov stepped up moments later at 120+2' and scored his penalty for CSKA Sofia, consolidating the hosts’ edge.
The tension rose again at 120+3' as Jaly Mouaddib (Qarabag) converted his penalty in the shootout, only for Jean-Philippe Gbamin to respond with a successful penalty of his own for CSKA Sofia at 120+3'.
At 120+4', Renaldo Cephas kept Qarabag alive by scoring his penalty in the shootout, but Stefano Sensi matched him with a composed conversion for CSKA Sofia at 120+4', maintaining the Bulgarians’ lead.
The shootout moved into its decisive phase at 120+5'. Joni Montiel scored his penalty for Qarabag, but James Eto’o, who had earlier been booked, completed his personal redemption arc by converting the final penalty for CSKA Sofia at 120+5', sealing a 5-4 shootout victory after a 0-0 draw over 120 minutes.
Fixture Statistics & Tactical Audit
- xG: not available vs not available
- Possession: 42% vs 58%
- Shots on Target: 3 vs 5
- Goalkeeper Saves: not available vs not available
- Blocked Shots: 3 vs 7
Qarabag enjoyed the territorial and attacking initiative, with more possession (58% vs 42%) and a higher number of shots on target (5 vs 3), while also forcing more defensive interventions from CSKA, as shown by their 7 blocked shots compared to the hosts’ 3. CSKA, by contrast, leaned into a compact, combative game plan, reflected in their higher foul count (26 vs 14) and a flurry of yellow cards. Without xG data, the shot and possession profile still suggests Qarabag created more sustained pressure, but CSKA’s defensive structure and game management over 120 minutes allowed them to drag the tie to penalties, where their superior execution from the spot ultimately overrode Qarabag’s statistical edge in open play.
Standings Update & Seasonal Impact
With no league standings data provided for either CSKA Sofia or Qarabag, the impact of this result is best understood within the context of European qualification. CSKA Sofia’s progression via a 5-4 penalty shootout win after a 0-0 draw keeps their UEFA Europa League campaign alive and moves them into the next qualifying round, preserving both the sporting and financial benefits of continued European participation. For Qarabag, the elimination despite controlling more of the ball and registering more efforts on target represents a significant setback in their continental ambitions this season.
Lineups & Personnel
CSKA Sofia Starting XI
- GK: Fedor Lapoukhov
- DF: Pastor, Teodor Ivanov, Facundo Rodríguez, Ángelo Martino, Jean-Philippe Gbamin
- MF: Max Ebong, Stefano Sensi, Bruno Jordão
- FW: Ioannis Pittas, Leandro Godoy
Qarabag Starting XI
- GK: Mateusz Kochalski
- DF: Matheus Silva, Bədavi Hüseynov, Bence Várkonyi, Elvin Cafarquliyev
- MF: Pedro Bicalho, Marko Janković, Olexiy Kashchuk, Kady Borges, Abdellah Zoubir
- FW: Zakaria Sawo
Post-Match Verdict
CSKA Sofia’s progression owed much to a resilient, abrasive defensive performance (26 fouls and six yellow cards) that successfully disrupted Qarabag’s more possession-based approach (58% of the ball and 5 shots on target). While Qarabag were more dominant in territory and chance volume (5 shots on target vs 3 and 10 corners vs 2), they lacked the cutting edge to translate that control into goals over 120 minutes. In contrast, CSKA were pragmatic and ultimately clinical from the spot, converting all five penalties in the shootout, a ruthless efficiency that contrasted sharply with Qarabag’s single miss from Matheus Silva. Tactically, Qarabag’s multiple second-half and extra-time substitutions injected fresh creativity and attacking options, but CSKA’s compact block, disciplined penalty-box defending (3 blocked shots) and psychological strength in the shootout combined to turn a statistically unfavourable contest into a successful European qualification step.
