Levski Sofia vs Borac Banja Luka

The first leg in Banja Luka had ended 1-1 on 7 July — Luka Juričić scoring from the penalty spot for the hosts before Oko-Flex equalised — meaning everything was finely poised heading to Sofia. A crowd of 17,325 at the Georgi Asparuhov Stadium saw a tense opening 45 minutes in which neither side managed to find the net.

Borac had the better of the early chances. Stefan Savić and Juričić combined well, with the latter forcing a save from Svetoslav Vutsov, while Sandi Ogrinec fired wide from the edge of the box. Levski responded through Maicon, whose shot from distance tested Nikola Ćetković, but the half ended goalless with the tie still in the balance.

Sinisa Saničanin was booked early for the visitors (17') and Sebastian Herrera followed him into the referee's book just before the break (44'), giving early warning signs of Borac's defensive fragility.

The match turned decisively three minutes after the interval. Oko-Flex capitalised on a defensive error from Viktor Rogan, nicking the ball off the Borac midfielder inside the area and slotting coolly past Ćetković to make it 1-0 in the 48th minute. The goal visibly deflated the Bosnian champions.

Levski doubled their lead in the 59th minute through a devastating counter-attack. Everton Bala drove forward before feeding Reinaldo, who showed pace and composure to beat the goalkeeper one-on-one. Just six minutes later, the Brazilian striker struck again — Álex Centelles provided the assist, and Reinaldo finished with the same clinical edge, making it 3-0 in the 65th minute.

Perea completed the scoring late on in the 85th minute, converting from close range after a clever pass from Serginho to round off a dominant display.

Oko-Flex's goal three minutes into the second half fundamentally changed the complexion of the tie. Borac had defended competently for 48 minutes, keeping the aggregate score at 1-1, but Rogan's error gifted Levski the lead and forced the visitors to chase the game. Once ahead, Velázquez's side exploited the space Borac left behind as they pushed forward, leading directly to Reinaldo's quickfire double.

Reinaldo (Man of the Match) — The Brazilian striker justified his reported transfer fee with two goals in six second-half minutes. His movement in behind stretched Borac's back three repeatedly, and his finishing was ruthless. Two goals from two shots on target.

Armstrong Oko-Flex — Scored the crucial opening goal and was a persistent threat down the left flank. The former West Ham academy product, who also scored in the first leg, ended the tie with two goals across both legs.

Everton Bala — The Ghanaian forward provided the assist for Reinaldo's first goal and was a constant outlet on the counter, winning five duels and creating three chances.

Svetoslav Vutsov — The Levski goalkeeper was a spectator for long periods but made a key save from Juričić in the first half when the tie was still goalless, keeping a clean sheet.

The statistics page shows 15 total attempts for Levski to 6 for Borac, with 7 corners to 3. While the possession split (57-43 in Levski's favour) reflects controlled dominance, the xG story — which is not available from the provider — is best understood through the shot locations: Levski's 5 shots on target yielded 4 goals, an exceptional conversion rate driven by high-quality chances on the counter after Borac were forced to commit forward. The 0-0 half-time scoreline masked Levski's territorial superiority; they had 5 attempts in the first period alone.

Levski Sofia advance to the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round, where they will face Romanian champions Universitatea Craiova at Stadion Georgi Asparuhov on or around 21 July 2026. The victory extends Levski's unbeaten run in competitive matches to seven since the end of the 2025-26 Bulgarian season (source: Flashscore form data).

For Borac Banja Luka, elimination means a switch to the UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying path, where they will enter the second qualifying round. The Bosnian champions, managed by Vinko Marinovic, will need to regroup quickly after a second leg in which they were thoroughly outplayed once the deadlock was broken.

This was a tie decided by ruthlessness in one half of football. Levski were patient, disciplined, and clinical when it mattered — the hallmark of a side that understands European competition. Reinaldo's brace announced him as a real threat in this qualifying campaign, and Velázquez's tactical switch to a 4-4-2 with two strikers caused Borac problems they never solved. The challenge steps up against Craiova, but on this evidence, Levski have the firepower to trouble stronger opposition.