Levski Sofia beats Universitatea Craiova 1‑0 in Champions League qualifier

Levski Sofia defeated Universitatea Craiova 1‑0 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League second‑qualifying round at the Georgi Asparuhov Stadium in Sofia. The Bulgarian side praised its performance, while Craiova coach Mihai Iosif said the loss gave Bulgaria a 51 % chance to advance. A return match is scheduled for the following week in Craiova.

Universitatea’s coach Filipe Coelho expressed confidence that his team can overturn the result in the second leg, acknowledging the strength of Levski and the need for tactical adjustments. UEFA’s competition rules mean that if Craiova is eliminated they could enter the Europa League play‑offs as a seeded team, a scenario described as “bizarre” by Romanian media.

Key moments included a clean sheet for Craiova goalkeeper Laurențiu Popescu in the first match and a disciplined defensive effort from Levski that kept a clean sheet on their home side.