Levski finished 1:1 in their visit to NEK Nijmegen in a match from the main phase of the Europa League. „The Blues“ led in the first half, but allowed an equalizer after an error in passing the ball. In the final minutes, the Bulgarian team had a chance to take the lead again, and in added time Svetoslav Vutsov took revenge with a decisive intervention in front of his own goal.
The hosts started more actively and tried to apply pressure in the opening minutes. However, Julio Velasquez's players managed to cope with the initial impetus of the Dutch team and gradually found their rhythm. After the first quarter of an hour, Levski began to act more confidently and look for opportunities in forward positions.
In the 17th minute, Everton Bala sent the ball into the NEK goal, but the goal was disallowed due to an offside call. The situation seemed controversial and left questions about the refereeing team's decision.
Levski did not give up on their attempts to score a goal and the guests' efforts paid off in the 35th minute. Goalkeeper Svetoslav Vutsov made a long pass forward, which brought Reynaldo into a good position. The striker took advantage of the opportunity and scored for 1:0 in favor of the Bulgarian team.
No new goals were scored until the end of the first half, and Levski retired at the break with a valuable lead.
NEK Nijmegen tried to respond immediately after the game resumed. Shortly after the start of the second half, Dušan Tadić found space in the penalty area and shot dangerously, but a defender of the “blues“ intervened selflessly and blocked the shot with a decisive split.
In the 64th minute, the hosts equalized after a serious mistake in Levski's play. When trying to play in front of his own goal, Svetoslav Vutsov failed to organize the ball in the best way and the opponent took advantage of the situation to make the score 1:1.
Despite the goal conceded, the Bulgarian team continued to seek victory. Ten minutes before the end, Armstrong Oko-Flex had an excellent opportunity to restore Levski's lead, after finding himself alone against the home team's goalkeeper. However, the striker was unable to overcome the guard and the score remained unchanged.
The most important moment for Vutsov came in added time. After the mistake that led to the equalizer, Levski's goalkeeper intervened decisively and prevented an almost certain goal for NEK Nijmegen.
Thus, the two teams shared the points after a 1:1 draw. Levski showed character and managed to take the lead as a guest, but the misses and the mistake in passing the ball prevented them from reaching the victory. In the end, the decisive intervention of Svetoslav Vutsov in the final seconds helped the “blues“ to leave the Netherlands with a draw.