Levski make light work of Skonto

PFC Levski Sofia 2-0 FC Skonto (Levski win 2-0 on aggregate)
PFC Levski Sofia will face FC Dinamo Kyiv in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League after a comfortable 2-0 home defeat of FC Skonto.

Dream start
Levski’s scoreless draw in Latvia last week had swung the tie in their favour and striker Gueorgui Chilikov ensured they made a dream start in front of the home faithful, heading a cross from fellow forward Miodrag Pantelic crisply into the bottom corner.

Early warning
The hosts could actually have gone ahead even earlier, when Pantelic skipped through the Skonto defence and dallied in possession when he only had goalkeeper Andrejs Pavlovs to beat.

Lead doubled
It should have been 2-0 on 24 minutes but midfielder Garba Lawal contrived to volley over the bar from a Danail Bachkov cross which deserved a better finish. However, the Bulgarians did double their lead soon after when Sasa Simonovic met a Pantelic pass with a thundering drive, leaving Pavlovs with no chance.

Missed chances
Skonto desperately needed a goal early in the second half and had the perfect chance to strike when Levski captain Stanimir Stoilov was dispossessed and Orestas Buitkus raced clear on goal. However, Ilian Stoyanov came to the rescue with a last-ditch tackle. It was not the only opportunity, Maris Verpakovskis fluffing his shot when it looked easier to score.