At the Gradski Stadion in Banja Luka, a meeting between two freshly crowned national champions ended in a fair 1:1 draw. Borac Banja Luka, the record champions of Bosnia under manager Vinko Marinovic, hosted Levski Sofia, who had just claimed the Bulgarian title for the first time in 17 years. It was the first competitive fixture in the history of both clubs — and it delivered drama from the opening minute.
Penalty puts the home side ahead after nine minutes
The match burst into life from the very start. As early as the 7th minute, Levski midfielder Nikola Serafimov was shown a yellow card — an early indication of the intensity to come. Two minutes later, Luka Juričić converted a penalty to make it 1:0 for Borac. The striker, born in Germany in 1996, had been the most dangerous attacker in the Bosnian champions' ranks throughout the 2025/26 season and underlined that reputation with his early strike. Juričić, whose career had nearly been ended by serious knee injuries back in 2015, was finding the net in his side's first-ever Champions League qualifying match. The score remained 1:0 until half-time, though Juričić himself picked up a yellow card shortly before the break — in the 43rd minute.
Oko-Flex turns the game after the interval
Levski manager Julio Velazquez responded at half-time with a substitution, bringing on Armstrong Echezolachukwu Inya Oko-Flex in place of David Kusso. The substitute needed just ten minutes to make his mark. In the 55th minute, Oko-Flex finished off an assist from Sergio Miguel Lobo Araujo to equalise at 1:1. The winger, born in Dublin in 2002, had contributed nine goals to the Bulgarians' historic title triumph in the previous season, and once again demonstrated his value to the club. Oko-Flex, a graduate of the Arsenal academy and a former youth team-mate of Bukayo Saka, had only joined Levski in January 2026, yet has already become one of the team's most influential figures.
No further goals in a hard-fought finale
The match remained fiercely contested after the equaliser. In the 60th minute, Borac's Sandi Ogrinec picked up the evening's third yellow card. Both managers made further changes as the game wore on: Borac introduced Ante Roguljić and Amar Milak in the 64th minute, while Levski brought on Juan Esteban Perea Sanchez in the 67th. In the 83rd minute, Christian Makoun replaced assist-maker Sergio Miguel Lobo Araujo on the visitors' side. Borac withdrew Juričić in the 88th minute — his work for the evening already done. The 1:1 scoreline keeps both sides firmly in contention. The second leg will decide which of these two national title-holders takes the next step in the Champions League qualifying rounds.
