CSKA Sofia hosted OFI Crete at the National Stadium "Vasil Levski" on Thursday evening, and the Greek visitors took all three points in the Europa League play-offs. The final score stood at 0:2, a result that confirmed OFI's superiority despite CSKA enjoying more possession. And here's the thing — you don't need fifty-six percent of the ball to win a match.
The opening goal came at the thirty-sixth minute when T. Nuss found the net for OFI. CSKA had dominated territory and attacks since the whistle, but their finishing remained blunt. The home side pushed forward after the concession, hoping to restore equilibrium before the break.
OFI doubled their advantage in the second half through I. Theodosoulakis in the seventy-eighth minute. By then, CSKA had made several changes, bringing on Pastor and Cantalapiedra in an attempt to shift momentum. The substitutions failed to produce the breakthrough the home crowd expected.
The numbers told a different story from what the eye saw. CSKA registered 124 attacks against OFI's 54, while their expected goals figure sat at 1.29 compared to 2.44 for the visitors. Shots accuracy showed CSKA at 32 per cent, OFI at 44 per cent. To be fair, possession statistics rarely capture the essence of a match.
Discipline was mixed throughout, with four yellow cards issued across the contest. D. Nikolaou went offside for OFI in the twenty-first minute, while CSKA's C. Itu and B. Jordao both received cautions before the interval. The match concluded with J. Eto'o booked in the eighty-eighth minute for a late challenge.
This result means OFI advances to the next round of the Europa League play-offs. CSKA's defeat extends a difficult start to their campaign, following a 0:3 loss to the same opponents just seven days earlier. The Greek side now holds a two-legged advantage and can look ahead to the group stage.