CSKA Sofia Dominates Maccabi Tel Aviv 3-0 in UEFA Europa League

Maccabi Tel Aviv 0-3 CSKA Sofia at Batumi Arena leaves the Israeli side with a heavy home-designated defeat in the UEFA Europa League 3rd Qualifying Round, as CSKA Sofia take full control of the tie with a three-goal cushion built on early incision and superior attacking efficiency.

Match Report

CSKA Sofia struck first in the 9th minute. CSKA Sofia goal — M. Ebong (assisted by L. Godoy) finished a well-worked move to punish Maccabi Tel Aviv’s loose defensive structure and make it 0-1.

In the 18th minute, the first booking arrived: 18' B. Jordao (CSKA Sofia) — yellow card (Holding) after a late intervention in midfield that stopped a Maccabi transition.

CSKA doubled their lead in the 29th minute. 29' CSKA Sofia goal — L. Godoy (assisted by I. Pittas), with Godoy timing his run behind the back line and finishing clinically to push the score to 0-2 and deepen Maccabi Tel Aviv’s early problems.

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s frustration began to show on 31 minutes: 31' S. Abu Farkhi (Maccabi Tel Aviv) — yellow card (Holding) for dragging back his marker as CSKA tried to break.

Further ill-discipline followed for the hosts just before the interval: 43' M. Camara (Maccabi Tel Aviv) — yellow card (Holding) after stepping out of defence and mistiming a challenge.

At half-time, Maccabi Tel Aviv responded with a double change to try to stabilise their flanks. In the 46th minute, N. Ben Harush replaced S. Rosen (Maccabi Tel Aviv), and moments later at 46' T. Asante replaced I. Ben Hamo (Maccabi Tel Aviv), signalling a reshuffle in the back line.

CSKA Sofia collected another booking in the 54th minute: 54' I. Pittas (CSKA Sofia) — yellow card (Holding) after grappling with a defender while contesting a long ball.

The 66th minute brought a flurry of substitutions. For CSKA Sofia, J. Eto'o replaced B. Jordao (CSKA Sofia), refreshing the midfield, while J. Zwarts replaced I. Pittas (CSKA Sofia) to add fresh legs up front. At the same time, Maccabi Tel Aviv made two attacking-minded changes: O. Davida replaced I. Shahar (Maccabi Tel Aviv), and E. Sokler replaced S. Abu Farkhi (Maccabi Tel Aviv) as they searched for a route back into the game.

Maccabi Tel Aviv continued to adjust on 77 minutes: 77' E. Madmon replaced H. Varela (Maccabi Tel Aviv), adding more energy between the lines.

CSKA Sofia then rotated their front line again in the 78th minute: 78' M. Brahimi replaced L. Godoy (CSKA Sofia), withdrawing one of the scorers to preserve legs for the closing stages.

With the game entering its final phase, tempers flared in the 85th minute. 85' J. Zwarts (CSKA Sofia) — yellow card (Unsportsmanlike conduct) after a confrontation, and in the same minute 85' R. Shlomo (Maccabi Tel Aviv) — yellow card (Unsportsmanlike conduct), reflecting the growing frustration of both sides.

CSKA Sofia added a late third goal in the 90th minute to effectively kill the tie. 90' CSKA Sofia goal — J. Zwarts (assisted by Pastor), as the substitute forward converted after a forward surge and low delivery from the right-back, stretching the scoreline to 0-3.

Immediately after his assist, Pastor was withdrawn in added time: 90+1' Leo Pereira replaced Pastor (CSKA Sofia), a tactical change to run down the clock. The final notable incident came deep into stoppage time: 90+4' S. Sensi (CSKA Sofia) — yellow card (Tripping) after a late challenge in midfield, but it did nothing to alter the outcome of CSKA Sofia’s commanding 3-0 away victory.

Fixture Statistics & Tactical Audit

• xG: not available vs not available
• Possession: 49% vs 51%
• Shots on Target: 2 vs 7
• Goalkeeper Saves: not available vs not available
• Blocked Shots: 0 vs 6

The 3-0 scoreline aligned closely with the pattern of chances: CSKA Sofia produced more pressure in the final third, registering 7 shots on target to Maccabi Tel Aviv’s 2 and forcing the hosts into a reactive, foul-heavy game (21 fouls for Maccabi Tel Aviv versus 17 for CSKA Sofia). The visitors’ defensive structure was notably resilient and proactive (6 blocked shots), repeatedly closing shooting lanes before Maccabi could threaten. While possession was almost even at 49%–51%, CSKA used their share far more purposefully, progressing quickly into dangerous zones and converting their territorial advantage into three well-constructed goals. In contrast, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s limited end-product and lack of blocked efforts underline how rarely they managed to work CSKA’s back line into genuinely compromised positions.

Standings Update & Seasonal Impact

With no league-table data available for either side, the broader seasonal context in terms of points, goals for, and goals against cannot be quantified here. What is clear from this 0-3 defeat is that Maccabi Tel Aviv face a steep uphill task in the second leg of this UEFA Europa League 3rd Qualifying Round tie, needing at least three unanswered goals to stay alive in the competition. CSKA Sofia, meanwhile, carry a strong aggregate advantage into the return fixture, giving them significant margin to manage the game state and control their path toward the next round.

Lineups & Personnel

Maccabi Tel Aviv Starting XI

• GK: Ofek Melika
• DF: Itai Ben Hamo, Mohamed Camara, Raz Shlomo, Shahar Rosen
• MF: Itamar Noy, Ido Shahar, Issouf Sissokho, Dor Peretz, Hélio Varela
• FW: Saied Abu Farchi

CSKA Sofia Starting XI

• GK: Fedor Lapoukhov
• DF: Pastor, Teodor Ivanov, Facundo Rodríguez, Ángelo Martino
• MF: Max Ebong, Bruno Jordão, Stefano Sensi
• FW: Jean-Philippe Gbamin, Leandro Godoy, Ioannis Pittas

Post-Match Verdict

CSKA Sofia delivered a dominant performance (7 shots on target to 2 and 6 blocked shots), built on compact defending and sharp transitions that repeatedly exposed Maccabi Tel Aviv’s back line. Their front unit interchanged effectively, with Ebong, Godoy and later Zwarts all profiting from well-timed runs and composed finishing. Maccabi Tel Aviv, by contrast, produced a blunt attacking display (only 2 shots on target and 0 blocked shots), struggling to turn near-equal possession into sustained pressure or high-quality chances. The hosts’ reliance on physical duels and fouls (21 in total) betrayed a reactive game plan that never truly disrupted CSKA’s rhythm. Over 90 minutes, the visitors’ balance between defensive solidity and attacking efficiency fully justified the emphatic 0-3 scoreline.