Levski defeated Jagiellonia 1:0 in the fourth round of the league phase of the Europa League. The match was played at the Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia, with the winning goal coming in the closing stages. The victory was the Bulgarian champions’ second in a row in the tournament. Before the match, Levski had 4 points, while Jagiellonia had 3. The three points give the Blues an important advantage in the battle for a place among the teams that will progress to the knockout stages.
The match began cautiously. The Polish side tried to retain possession and exploit the open spaces in front of the hosts’ penalty area. Levski’s defence and midfield, however, maintained good organisation and did not allow the visitors to establish sustained pressure.
Svetoslav Vutsov made a decisive intervention during one of Jagiellonia’s dangerous attacks in the first half. Levski also created chances, but the two teams went into the break with the score at 0:0.
Serdzhinyo suffered a strain towards the end of the first half and was substituted. This forced Julio Velasquez to make a change to the lineup, having started the match with no alterations from the victory over Viktoria Plzen.
After the break, the match turned into a battle for every ball. Levski did not succumb to the pressure and continued to close down the spaces in front of their goal. When the match appeared to be heading for a draw, the hosts delivered the decisive blow and took a 1:0 lead.
Jagiellonia tried to respond in the remaining minutes by sending more players forward. Levski’s organised defence, however, held on to the advantage until the final whistle and secured the team’s first home victory in the league phase of the Europa League.
“We will not change our identity either against Jagiellonia or against Milan,” Julio Velasquez said before the match.
Levski will travel to face Olympique Marseille on 26 November. The Blues will then host Lille, before taking on Milan and Sunderland in January in their final matches of the league phase.