Levski’s #CLVolleyM campaign comes to an end as Mladost progress to Round 3

In the second leg of the second qualifying round for a place in the group stage of the CEV XTB Champions League Volley 2027 Men, Levski SOFIA lost 0-3 (20-25, 25-27, 21-25) to Mladost ZAGREB at Levski Sofia Hall. Following last week’s 1-3 defeat in Croatia, Levski’s Champions League campaign has come to an end whereas Mladost has progressed to Round 3. 

On the other hand, head coach Nikolay Zhelyazkov’s team will now continue its European campaign in the CEV Cup, the second-tier continental competition, entering the tournament at the Round of 32 stage. Their opponents will be Swiss side Volley SCHÖNENWERD. The first leg will take place in Sofia between 8 and 10 December, with the return leg scheduled for 6 January 2027.

Levski got off to a strong start in the re-match with Mladost, taking an early 3-0 lead, but the visitors fought back to turn the score around. The Blues managed to level at 16-16, but a scoring run by Mladost allowed the Croatian side to close out the set 25-20. The Blues came out determined to respond in the second set. They built an early lead and looked to be in control, reaching 22-17. However, the visitors found their rhythm and staged a late comeback to take the set and move 2-0 ahead. Despite the setback, and with the home crowd doing its best to lift the team’s spirits with strong support, Levski stayed on level terms in the third and final set until 21-21. Mladost then produced another scoring run to seal the match. Kristiyan Titriyski was Levski’s top scorer with 14 points (including one block) as team captain Todor Skrimov added 13 points (including one ace). Ivan Zeljkovic scored the most points (14) for Mladost.