Stoyanchov's 83rd-minute goal gave Levski a win on fewer chances

Jagiellonia had more of the ball and the better chances in Sofia, but Levski took the only goal late on.

Levski Sofia beat Jagiellonia 1-0 in the Europa League, and the only goal came late. Steven Stoyanchov finished in the 83rd minute, with David Kusso providing the final pass, and that single moment decided a match that looked close on paper. Stoyanchov's rating of 7.7 was the highest among Levski's named players, a fair reflection of a forward who did the one thing that counted.

The ball spent more time with the visitors than their habits suggest. Jagiellonia had 52% of possession, well above the 43.4% they usually keep when they travel, while Levski had 48%, up on the 42.7% they average at home. Possession tells us who was in charge of the ball, but it says little about who was threatening the goal, and here the two sides split.

Levski took 13 shots, nine of them from inside the box, which is close to the 13.8 shots a side averages in this league. Jagiellonia took fewer, but the quality of their chances was higher. Expected goals, a rough gauge of how likely each shot was to go in based on where it was taken, put the visitors on 0.89, slightly above their usual 0.81 away from home. Levski's total sat well below their home norm, so the hosts shot often without shooting especially well.

Shots on target tell a similar story from the other end. Levski had five on target, and Stoyanchov's efforts both found the target, one of them the goal. Jagiellonia managed fewer on target, but S. Abramowicz made four saves in the visitors' goal, a performance that earned him a 7.4 rating and kept the score close for long enough to matter.

Goals were scarce across the match as a whole. The league averages 2.9 goals per match, and this game produced one. Jagiellonia usually score 1.6 goals when they play away, and they scored none here, so the attacking output was well below their normal level. Levski's home defence held as well, conceding nothing after an average of one goal conceded per home game.

Both sides picked up three yellow cards and neither was sent off, so the match was never shaped by numbers on the pitch. The yellow cards came in the second half for both teams, and the late stages were played at full strength on each side. Levski's 13 shots were not out of the ordinary, but the goal they needed came in the final stretch when the match was still in the balance.

It was the only goal of the night, and it came from a player whose only shots that evening were on target.

Player of the matchS. Stoyanchov1 goal7.7

S. Abramowicz4 saves7.4

C. Makoun4 duels won7.3

A. Konstantopoulos10 duels won7.3