CSKA Sofia Advances Past Qarabag in Dramatic Penalty Shootout

CSKA Sofia 0-0 Qarabag (5-4 on penalties) at Vasil Levski National Sports Academy in Sofia ended goalless after 120 minutes before the Bulgarian side held their nerve from the spot to edge through this UEFA Europa League 2nd Qualifying Round tie. With no league standings context available at this stage of the season, the significance is purely knockout: CSKA advance after a disciplined but often reactive display, while Qarabag exit despite having more of the ball and the clearer shooting opportunities.

Match Report

The first half unfolded as a tight, physical contest with few clear chances and plenty of interruptions. The tone was set in the 39th minute when Bruno Jordão (CSKA Sofia) received a yellow card for tripping, underlining the home side’s willingness to break up Qarabag’s possession game rather than allow transitions through midfield.

Early in the second half, CSKA’s centre-forward Leandro Godoy went into the book in the 48th minute for unsportsmanlike conduct, reflecting growing frustration as the hosts struggled to progress the ball. Qarabag’s response was equally combative: in the 50th minute, Marko Janković (Qarabag) was shown a yellow card for roughing, followed by another yellow for Bence Várkonyi (Qarabag) in the 55th minute, also for roughing, as the visitors tried to impose themselves in duels higher up the pitch.

The first wave of substitutions arrived around the 70-minute mark as both coaches sought fresh impetus. In the 70th minute, Renaldo Cephas replaced Kady Borges (Qarabag), adding more direct running in the final third. A minute later, in the 71st minute, James Eto’o came on for Bruno Jordão (CSKA Sofia), giving CSKA extra legs and ball-carrying in midfield.

Eto’o’s impact was mixed; in the 74th minute he was booked for roughing, another yellow for CSKA that underlined how often they were forced into late challenges to disrupt Qarabag’s rhythm.

Qarabag then made a triple change in the 82nd minute to tilt the game further in their favour. Cebrail Makreckis replaced Bədavi Hüseynov, Bruno Langa came on for Elvin Cafarquliyev, and Jaly Mouaddib replaced Olexiy Kashchuk, collectively refreshing both the back line and the attacking midfield structure. CSKA responded just before the end of normal time: in the 89th minute, Joël Zwarts replaced Leandro Godoy, offering a different profile up front with more mobility in the channels.

In stoppage time of the second half, Qarabag made another attacking tweak as Joni Montiel replaced Abdellah Zoubir in the 90+2' minute, adding a fresh playmaker between the lines before extra time.

Extra time began in the same physical vein. In the 95th minute, Ángelo Martino (CSKA Sofia) was booked for holding, a necessary foul as Qarabag tried to break into space down the flank. Four minutes later, in the 99th minute, CSKA adjusted their left side as Mohamed Amine Brahimi replaced Martino, trading defensive solidity for a bit more thrust on the wing.

Qarabag continued to rotate their frontline in the 100th minute when Musa Qurbanlı replaced Zakaria Sawo, seeking a sharper penalty-box presence as fatigue set in. The card count continued to rise: in the 105+3' minute, Teodor Ivanov (CSKA Sofia) received a yellow card for roughing after a late challenge, symptomatic of CSKA’s deep and increasingly desperate defending. Shortly after, in the 106th minute, Bruno Langa (Qarabag) was also booked for roughing, as both sides pushed their physical limits.

With legs tiring and spaces opening, discipline wavered further. In the 112th minute, Joël Zwarts (CSKA Sofia) collected a yellow card for unsportsmanlike conduct, CSKA’s sixth booking of the night, but neither side could find a breakthrough before the final whistle, sending the tie to a penalty shootout.

The shootout itself unfolded in a dramatic sequence, all recorded around the 120th minute plus added time. Marko Janković (Qarabag) stepped up first and converted his penalty for Qarabag, unassisted. Ioannis Pittas replied immediately, scoring CSKA Sofia’s opening penalty to level the shootout.

The first twist came when Matheus Silva (Qarabag) missed his penalty in the 120+2' minute, handing CSKA the early advantage. Teodor Ivanov capitalised by scoring CSKA’s next kick, extending the hosts’ edge in the shootout.

Qarabag stayed alive when Jaly Mouaddib converted his penalty in the 120+3' minute, but CSKA maintained control as Jean-Philippe Gbamin calmly scored his effort moments later. Renaldo Cephas then kept Qarabag in contention by converting his penalty in the 120+4' minute, only for Stefano Sensi to restore CSKA’s cushion with a successful kick of his own.

Joni Montiel scored Qarabag’s next penalty in the 120+5' minute to pile the pressure back onto the hosts, but James Eto’o completed the job for CSKA Sofia with the final successful penalty, sealing a 5-4 shootout win 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

The statistical profile underlines a Qarabag side that were more dominant in territory and chance volume (58% possession and 5 shots on target, with 7 of their efforts blocked) against a CSKA Sofia team that largely accepted a reactive role (42% possession, 3 shots on target, 3 blocked shots). Without xG data, shot quality cannot be quantified precisely, but the distribution suggests Qarabag consistently worked the ball into shooting positions, forcing CSKA into a deep block that had to absorb pressure and throw bodies in front of attempts. The absence of recorded goalkeeper saves makes it difficult to isolate individual shot-stopping contributions, yet the overall pattern indicates that CSKA’s route to victory was built more on collective defensive organisation and penalty execution than on sustained attacking threat. On balance of open-play statistics, a draw over 120 minutes is explainable by CSKA’s low-risk, compact approach, but Qarabag will feel the underlying numbers point to a missed opportunity before the lottery of penalties.

Standings Update & Seasonal Impact

With no league standings data available for either CSKA Sofia or Qarabag, the impact of this result is best framed within the knockout context of the UEFA Europa League 2nd Qualifying Round. CSKA’s progression, secured via a 5-4 penalty shootout win after a 0-0 draw, keeps their European campaign alive and extends their fixture list into the next qualifying stage. Qarabag, despite controlling possession and generating more shots on target, exit the competition at this hurdle, a setback that shifts their seasonal focus back towards domestic objectives and future European qualification routes.

Lineups & Personnel

CSKA Sofia Starting XI

• GK: Fedor Lapoukhov
• DF: Pastor, Teodor Ivanov, Facundo Rodríguez, Ángelo Martino
• MF: Jean-Philippe Gbamin, 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 more to resilience than to attacking fluency: they were defensively stubborn (3 blocked shots and repeated tactical fouls contributing to 6 yellow cards) and accepted a territorial deficit (42% possession) in order to keep their structure intact, ultimately trusting their penalty-takers to decide the tie. Qarabag, by contrast, produced the more proactive performance (58% possession, 5 shots on target, 7 blocked shots) but lacked the cutting edge to translate control into goals across 120 minutes. In tactical terms, CSKA’s low-risk game plan was justified by the outcome, while Qarabag’s inability to convert statistical superiority into a decisive moment in open play turned a broadly controlled display into a costly exit decided from twelve yards.