Maccabi Tel Aviv Wins But Is Eliminated From Europa League Qualifiers
Maccabi Tel Aviv was eliminated from the Europa League qualifiers on Thursday despite a 3-1 away victory against CSKA Sofia in the second leg of the third qualifying round. The first leg ended in a 3-0 defeat for Maccabi, which ultimately decided the tie 4-3 in favor of the Bulgarian side. Maccabi needed a three-goal margin to force extra time and started aggressively. Early in the match, a penalty awarded to Maccabi was overturned after a VAR review. CSKA Sofia nearly scored in the 10th minute, hitting the crossbar, but Maccabi opened the scoring two minutes later through Dor Peretz.
Maccabi continued to press and led 1-0 at halftime but required two more goals to extend the match. In the second half, striker Astrit Sulejmani scored his first goal for Maccabi to make it 2-0. However, CSKA Sofia responded quickly with Stefano Sensi scoring to reduce the deficit to 2-1. Maccabi restored their two-goal lead when CSKA’s goalkeeper scored an own goal in the 69th minute, making it 3-1. Despite the win, Maccabi could not find the crucial fourth goal needed to push the game into extra time.
As a result, CSKA Sofia advanced to the Europa League playoff round, while Maccabi Tel Aviv will move to the Conference League playoff, where they will face Swiss club Lugano.
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