Derry City 1-2 CSKA Sofia: Match Report, Goals, Stats and Ratings
Europa League · Thursday 16 July 2026 · The Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium, Londonderry · referee J. Šabotić · full time
Full time: Derry City 1-2 CSKA Sofia
CSKA Sofia won 2-1 away at Derry City in Europa League on Thursday 16 July 2026. The goals: Ellis Chapman 47', Ioannis Pittas 74'.
How CSKA Sofia won it
The opening goal came in the 47th minute: Ellis Chapman for Derry City, set up by Brandon Fleming. CSKA Sofia levelled at 1-1 in the 74th minute through Ioannis Pittas, set up by Dimitar Evtimov. CSKA Sofia turned it round: an own goal by Barry Cotter made it 1-2 in the 90th minute (+18). It came late, and it settled the match.
It was 0-0 at half-time, and the second half changed the result.
The lead changed hands once.
The referee, J. Šabotić, showed 5 yellow cards: 1 to Derry City and 4 to CSKA Sofia.
Derry City: T. Lynch, 4-3-3 · CSKA Sofia: H. Yanev, 3-5-2.
Moneyball's prediction against the result
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Why it went this way
Derry City had 2 shots on target, CSKA Sofia 5.
CSKA Sofia had 56% of the ball and turned it into the win.
Where the two sides stood before this match
Derry City came into it with 2 Europa League matches played, scoring 1.5 and conceding 2.5 a match, and had won 0% of their matches.
CSKA Sofia came into it with 8 Europa League matches played, scoring 1.1 and conceding 1.4 a match, with 0.22 expected goals for and – against, and had won 38% of their matches.
Derry City vs CSKA Sofia: the match in numbers
| Derry City | Match statistics | CSKA Sofia |
|---|---|---|
| 44% | Ball possession | 56% |
| 6 | Total shots | 10 |
| 2 | Shots on target | 5 |
| 11 | Corners | 6 |
| 13 | Fouls | 17 |
| 3 | Offsides | 2 |
| 1 | Yellow cards | 4 |
Team statistics from Sportmonks.
Player ratings and man of the match
Man of the match: Ioannis Pittas (CSKA Sofia), rated 6.8 by Sportmonks, with 1 goal.
Derry City
- Ellis Chapman 6.6 1 goal
- Kevin Santos 6.5
- Brandon Fleming 6.4 1 assist
- James Clarke 6.4
- James Olayinka 6.4
CSKA Sofia
- Ioannis Pittas 6.8 1 goal
- Jean-Philippe Gbamin 6.5
- Joël Zwarts 6.5
- James Eto'o 6.5
- Leandro Godoy 6.5
The lowest-rated starter was Brian Maher at 5.9. Ratings run from 0 to 10; around 7.0 is a solid match.
What comes next
- CSKA Sofia: CSKA Sofia vs Monaco Thursday 15 October 2026 · Europa Conference League
Each preview has Moneyball's estimate for the next match, published before kick-off and marked against the result afterwards, as this one is.
Questions about Derry City vs CSKA Sofia
What was the score in Derry City vs CSKA Sofia?
Derry City 1-2 CSKA Sofia (half-time 0-0), Europa League, Thursday 16 July 2026.
Who scored in Derry City vs CSKA Sofia?
Ellis Chapman 47', Ioannis Pittas 74'.
Did Moneyball predict Derry City vs CSKA Sofia correctly?
Moneyball did not publish a pre-match estimate for this match, so there is nothing to mark it against.
Who was man of the match in Derry City vs CSKA Sofia?
Ioannis Pittas, rated 6.8 by Sportmonks.
Who refereed Derry City vs CSKA Sofia?
J. Šabotić.
Every match, before and after
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