​Derry City manager Tiernan Lynch insisted that the tie remains open after his side were edged to a 3-2 defeat by CSKA Sofia at the National Stadium Vasil Levski in Sofia, in the first qualifying round of the Europa Conference League. The opening goal came from Ioannis Pittas in stunning fashion, only for Liam Boyce to level for Derry City soon after. The Bulgarian visitors regained the lead through a superb strike from Bruno Jardimao from outside the box, before Pittas again found the net to make it 2-2 and give Derry a glimmer of hope heading into the second leg. Yet James Olayinka struck a second for CSKA Sofia, leaving Lynch with work to do as he eyes a comeback in the return fixture.
“I thought the second half we were much better. I’m very disappointed with the goals we conceded, but I thought we grew stronger as the game progressed, and it’s still probably all to play for,” said Lynch. “They are a good side; they have good footballers and they keep the ball well. As the game wore on, we were delighted with how we performed. I felt we got stronger.”
The Candystripes now prepare to host CSKA Sofia at the Brandywell on 16 July, with Lynch determined to start planning early to maximize their chances of turning the tie around in front of their home supporters. He indicated that his team would study the performance in Sofia, analyze the moments that could have been improved, and identify the areas where they performed well to shape a more effective approach for the return leg.
“We’ll go back and we’ll look at the game, we’ll look at the areas where we could’ve been better, and we’ll analyse the moments where we did well,” Lynch added. “We’ll come up with a game plan for next Thursday night. We’ll examine the mistakes, fine-tune the tactics, and aim to exploit any weaknesses in CSKA Sofia when we welcome them to our ground.”
Lynch’s side will need to overturn the deficit in front of their fans, but there is confidence to draw upon from their performance in the first leg. The manager has stressed the importance of maintaining belief and focusing on the upcoming challenge, emphasizing that history shows ties can flip with a strong display and a bit of fortune.
The trip to Bulgaria yielded an entertaining clash, with Pittas delivering a moment of quality to open the scoring and then again with the equaliser as Derry matched their more illustrious opponents for long periods. The second half saw Derry pressing with intent and creating chances, while Sofia eventually found a decisive breakthrough that leaves the tie finely poised ahead of the home leg.
As the countdown to the return fixture begins, Lynch’s message to the squad is clear: stay compact, stay disciplined, and exploit every opportunity presented by the home crowd to deliver a memorable result. The Derry City contingent at the Brandywell will be hoping that their team can reproduce or even surpass the level displayed in Sofia, turning a narrow defeat into a qualification campaign triumph. The second leg promises to be a pivotal test of the team’s resolve, with Lynch ready to implement the plan that will push them toward an unlikely but feasible progression in European competition.