Dundalk 0 Levski Sofia 2 (Levski win 8-0 on aggregate):AS EXPECTED, Levski Sofia easily accounted for Dundalk in their Europa League second qualifying round, second leg at Oriel Park last night.
Holding a 6-0 lead from the first leg in Bulgaria last week, Levski took just four minutes to open their account.
Garra Dembele, who put the Lilywhites to the sword in Sofia, found himself in space on the edge of the box before driving a low effort past Peter Cherrie.
Dundalk more than matched their opponents for the next 30 minutes and Tom Miller almost pulled them back on level terms with a hooked effort over Georgi Petkov that just didn’t have the legs to cross the line.
Dembele made it 8-0 on aggregate when he tapped home from close range in the 33rd minute after Cherrie had failed to hold on to Vladimir Gadzhev’s 35-yard free-kick and it could have been more had centre-back Yordan Miliev directed a header on target after Cherrie was caught out from a corner kick.
The Lilywhites tried in vain to make a breakthrough with teenager Stephen McDonnell unlucky not to mark his European debut with a goal when he fired an effort that the goalkeeper had to turn over the bar.
At the other end Mariyan Ogyanov tested Cherrie with a 25-yard shot and substitute Isa should have made it 3-0. Tom Miller had a late consolation ruled out for offside.
DUNDALK: Cherrie; McGuigan, G Breen, Hatswell, Synnott; McDonnell, Maher, Miller, Gaynor; Lennon (Mulvenna, 58 mins), Kuduzovic.
LEVSKI SOFIA: Petkov; Mulder, Miliev, Ivanov, Minev; Mladenov, Baltanov, Gadzhev (Ognyanov, 60 mins), Joaozinho (Kirov, 70 mins); Dembele (Isa, 56 mins), Tasevski.
Referee: F Aydinus (Turkey).
