210 Minutes, Still Nothing
Two legs. Extra time. Still no goal between them. CSKA Sofia and Qarabağ played out a second straight 0-0 at Vasil Levski on Thursday, same as the first leg in Baku, and it took a penalty shootout to finally split them. CSKA came through 5-4.
Qarabağ actually had the better of it for long stretches — more of the ball, sharper in open play — but none of it translated into an actual goal. CSKA dug in. Made things difficult all night. Full ninety minutes came and went with nothing to show for either side, second match running.
Lapoukhov Denies Everything in Extra Time
Extra time is where this one really got decided, even with the score staying blank. Fedor Lapoukhov turned into the whole story — three separate clear chances for Qarabağ in extra time, and he stopped all three. Whatever they threw at him, he had an answer. Tie went to penalties still level, 0-0 on aggregate.
CSKA didn’t miss a single spot-kick. Every one went in. Lapoukhov did the rest himself, guessing right to save Matheus Silva’s attempt on Qarabağ’s second penalty and sending CSKA through 5-4, with club legend Hristo Stoichkov watching it all unfold from the stands.
What It Means Next
CSKA move into the third qualifying round, up against Maccabi Tel Aviv next, who cruised past Sheriff Tiraspol the same day. Genuinely impressive stuff from Hristo Yanev’s side against a Qarabağ team with a lot more European experience — and the win locks in at least a Conference League play-off spot for CSKA regardless of what happens from here. Rough way for Qarabağ, unbeaten in the competition until now, to see their summer end on penalties.
Match Summary
CSKA Sofia 0-0 Qarabağ (AET, CSKA Sofia win 5-4 on penalties; aggregate 0-0) UEFA Europa League, Second Qualifying Round, 2nd Leg — Vasil Levski Stadium, Sofia, Bulgaria Thursday, 30 July 2026
Result: CSKA Sofia advance to the third qualifying round on penalties after 210 goalless minutes across both legs. They’ll face Maccabi Tel Aviv next, with the first leg on 6 August.
For live Europa League qualifying scores and coverage, visit fawanews. Full results and bracket at the official UEFA Europa League website.
