Partizan Belgrade came to Sofia unbeaten in four games. They left having lost their first match of pre-season, and lost it comfortably.
CSKA 1948 won 3-0. No fuss, no real drama once the goals started coming, just a home side that looked sharper, more organised, and more clinical than a Partizan squad still finding its rhythm under the early stages of summer preparation. The result extends CSKA 1948’s own unbeaten run to six matches and gives them genuine momentum heading into the new season.
This was always shaping up as an interesting test for both clubs given where they currently sit. CSKA 1948 had been the form side coming in — five matches without defeat, performances that had been steadily improving as their pre-season camp progressed. Partizan arrived off the back of their own positive form, unbeaten in four, and fresh from a thumping 5-0 win over Radnik Surdulica in their last competitive Superliga outing before the off-season friendlies began. On paper this looked tight. On the pitch, CSKA 1948 made it look anything but.
The home side’s pressing set the tone early. Partizan, still working through squad rotations and fitness levels typical of this stage in pre-season, struggled to find the same control in possession that had characterised their domestic form. CSKA 1948 pushed numbers forward, created chances in clusters, and eventually the pressure told.
Three goals without reply. The kind of scoreline that does not need excessive embellishment — it tells its own story of a team that controlled the contest from start to finish. CSKA 1948’s home advantage clearly mattered too. Historically, when they have taken an early lead at home this season, they have gone on to win the vast majority of those matches. Monday followed that pattern to the letter.
For Partizan, the response will need to come quickly. Pre-season friendlies are rarely about devastating tactical analysis, but conceding three without reply against a side they would have expected to compete with more closely is the kind of result that prompts conversations in the dressing room regardless of the competition’s friendly status. Their unbeaten run is over. The bigger picture — building toward whatever European and domestic campaigns lie ahead — continues regardless, but Monday will sting a little in the short term.
CSKA 1948, meanwhile, have every reason to feel good about where their preparations stand. Six matches unbeaten now, a home win against a club of Partizan’s stature and history, and clear signs that the structure their coaching staff have been building is starting to translate into results on the pitch. These are the kinds of friendlies that build belief inside a dressing room before the serious business of the season gets underway.
Both clubs will take what they need from Monday and move on quickly — more friendlies, more fine-tuning, and eventually the competitive fixtures that actually count toward league points and continental qualification. For now, Sofia belongs to CSKA 1948.
For live international club friendly coverage and pre-season football news, visit fawanews.org.uk. Full results and fixtures from across European football are available at the official UEFA website.
CSKA 1948 3-0 Partizan Belgrade International Club Friendly | Monday, 29 June 2026 Sofia, Bulgaria
Goals: CSKA 1948 (3) | Partizan Belgrade (0)
Form Going In: CSKA 1948 — unbeaten in last 5 matches | Partizan Belgrade — unbeaten in last 4 matches, beat Radnik Surdulica 5-0 in their last Superliga fixture
H2H: CSKA 1948 won the previous meeting between the sides by 2 goals
