Levski Sofia played out a goalless draw with AEK Athens in the UEFA Champions League play-offs at the Vivacom Arena Georgi Asparuhov on 18 August 2026. The result leaves both sides with a point from the opening leg of the tie. It was a match where chances were thin on the ground and neither side could find a breakthrough.
The game settled into a cautious rhythm early on. By then, you could see both managers wary of giving anything away. AEK pushed forward slightly more but found no rhythm in the final third. Levski held their nerve in defence, making sure not to give the visitors room to breathe.
Ten substitutions were made across the ninety minutes, reflecting the stalemate. L. Jovic and L. Majer came on for Levski in the fifty-eighth minute, while A. Oko-Flex replaced an attacker for AEK sixty-seven minutes in. The game opened up a little more after the break, but the quality of the chances remained limited for both sides.
The statistics tell the same story as the result. Levski had 0.9 expected goals and three shots on target, while AEK registered 0.93 xG but only hit the frame once. Both teams created big chances — Levski none, AEK two — but neither could convert. The shots accuracy figures were equally telling: twenty per cent for the hosts, eight per cent for the visitors.
Levski dominated possession at fifty-two per cent but could not turn it into something meaningful. AEK camped in the final third at times but were second to everything in the air, winning fourteen of twenty-seven aerial duels. The wind ruined any passing game, or so it felt watching from the stands.
Both clubs had been in decent form before this encounter. Levski had won three of their last five matches, including a 1:0 victory over Kairat Almaty. AEK's recent results were mixed, with a 2:2 draw against OFI Crete the most recent outing. What the scoreline means is that the tie remains wide open, and the return leg will decide everything.