CSKA Sofia earned a 3-2 victory over Derry City in the first leg of their Europa League first qualifying round tie, taking a narrow advantage into next week's return match despite conceding twice to the visitors from Northern Ireland.
The Bulgarian side controlled much of the contest and opened the scoring in the 19th minute. Following a corner delivered by Stefano Sensi, Derry failed to clear the danger, allowing Ioannis Pitas to bring the ball under control before finishing with a composed strike to make it 1-0.
Despite CSKA's dominance, Derry drew level in the 31st minute after a defensive lapse. Michael Duffy quickly restarted play and caught the home side's back line off guard, creating space for Liam Boyce to beat goalkeeper Fedor Lapoukhov and equalize.
CSKA restored its lead just before halftime. In the 41st minute, Sensi found captain Bruno Jordao outside the box, and the midfielder unleashed a powerful long-range effort that gave the Derry goalkeeper no chance, sending the hosts into the break ahead 2-1.
The Bulgarian club continued to dictate play after the restart and extended its lead in the 53rd minute. Pitas surged through the middle before combining with Pastor, who returned the ball into his path. The Cypriot forward finished first time to score his second goal of the evening and make it 3-1.
