Bulgaria's CSKA secure narrow home win in Europa League qualifier

The football team of CSKA Sofia defeated Derry City 3-2 in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League first qualifying round tie.

The Bulgarian side dominated much of the match against the Northern Irish visitors but managed to take only a slender advantage into next week's return leg.

Ioannis Pittas scored twice for CSKA, while team captain Bruno Jordão added the third goal. Around 15,000 spectators at the Vasil Levski National Stadium witnessed the club's return to European competition after a two-year absence, the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) reported.

Following the match, CSKA's sporting director Boyko Velichkov expressed disappointment with the result.

"We should not be satisfied with this scoreline because our quality and superiority were clear. We should have won by a more convincing margin," Velichkov said.

Edited by Ivo Ivanov