Greek club OFI Crete defeated Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia 3-0 at Pankritio Stadium to take a major step toward Europa League qualification.
Fountas scored in each half before substitute Dikkman added a third goal deep in stoppage time, capitalizing on a red card for CSKA Sofia substitute Brahimi.
The host side entered their first European match in years following victories in both the Greek Cup and the Greek Super Cup. Visiting CSKA Sofia held possession during the opening minutes, but OFI created the first scoring opportunity in the seventh minute when Aitor set up Nous, whose shot was blocked by a defender.
Manager Christos Kontis saw his team maintain defensive discipline before taking the lead in the 19th minute. Aitor delivered a cross from the left wing that deflected off Pastor into the path of Fountas, who finished past goalkeeper Lapoukhov to make it 1-0.
First-half pressure and penalty goal
CSKA Sofia sought an equalizer as Godoy sent a shot wide in the 30th minute. The Bulgarian team created their clearest opportunity of the first half in the 45th minute, when Pittas directed a header toward goal, forcing OFI goalkeeper Christogeorgos into a crucial save to preserve the lead.
OFI extended their advantage early in the second half after the referee awarded a penalty for a handball by Pastor following a cross from Athanasiou on the right wing. Fountas took the penalty in the 51st minute and converted to make it 2-0.
CSKA Sofia attempted to respond in the 56th minute when Sensi struck a powerful shot, but Christogeorgos made another strong save. Two minutes later, Etoo came close to scoring when his deflected shot hit the post. From the subsequent corner kick, Ivanov headed wide following an inaccurate clearance attempt by Christogeorgos.
Red card and late goal
With the visitors maintaining long spells of possession, Kontis made substitutions to refresh the Greek side. The match turned further in OFI's favor in the 81st minute when CSKA Sofia substitute Brahimi was sent off following a Video Assistant Referee review for striking Aitor.
Playing against ten men, OFI scored their third goal in the 95th minute. Nikolaou set up Dikkman, who finished neatly to give the Cretan team a 3-0 advantage heading into the return leg.
OFI Crete, based in Heraklion on the island of Crete, compete in Super League Greece and qualified for European competition through their domestic cup success. CSKA Sofia are based in the Bulgarian capital and play in the First Professional Football League. The winner of the tie earns a place in the League Phase of the UEFA Europa League, the second-tier club competition organized by UEFA.
OFI lined up with Christogeorgos in goal, behind Sielis, Poungouras, Kostoulas and Athanasiou. Bouchalakis, Androutsos, Apostolakis, Aitor, Fountas and Nous completed the starting eleven, with Karachalios replacing Bouchalakis in the 66th minute, Dikkman replacing Fountas in the 66th minute, Kanellopoulos replacing Androutsos in the 76th minute, Iseka replacing Nous in the 76th minute, and Nikolaou replacing Kostoulas in the 87th minute. CSKA Sofia started Lapoukhov, Pastor, Ivanov, Rodriguez, Yordanov, Gbamin, Sensi, Ebong, Pittas, Etoo and Godoy, with Brahimi replacing Pastor in the 57th minute, Itou replacing Etoo in the 57th minute, Zvarts replacing Godoy in the 64th minute, and Pereira replacing Yordanov in the 76th minute.
