Levski looked fresher in Slovakia last night after a harrowing display with BATE Borisov. Bagging a draw and a priceless away goal, Levski certainly have something look forward to in a forthright when they entertain Zilina in Sofia for the second leg. 

The Slovaks were more determined in the first half, with two decent chances in the first eight minutes of the game whereas the first chance for Levski until mid-fist half came from Georgi Ivanov, nick-named Gonzo. Levski appeared rejuvenated and galvanised with energy when Joazinho attempted an individual assault through the left flank, beating his defender and then shooting wide in the terrace behind the goal.

Immediately after that, Wagner advanced powerfully on the right wing, made a brilliant cross, which Georgi Ivanov dully missed, and what had seemed a promising attack actually left the Slovak goal in no danger..

The game was even not only on the scoreboard but on the pitch, when in the second half the Portuguese referee decided that, from this point on, he had to get himself out of obscurity and become the centre of attention on the pitch.

The first absurd decision was to award a sloppy penalty for Zilina, which baffled everyone, from the players of both teams to the supporters watching the game. There was no foul, no contact, absolutely nothing, and when the penalty was awarded, the Slovaks were staring in as much disbelief as the Levski players.

Admin Vladavich put the ball past Petkov from the spot and Zilina was up 1-0 in the 48th minute.

Instantly Levski fired up the cylinders and went on the attack with Joasinio missing several times when in the 63rd minute finally a powerful shot from Gonzo hit the post and Joasinio scored from the rebound, 1-1.

Meanwhile the Portuguese referee, apparently feeling guilty for punishing Levski with a factious penalty, decided it was time to atone for his sins and punish the Slovaks for no good reason. In the 78th minute he gave Robert Iez his marching orders for no apparent reason. What was a slight gentle physical contact that normally wouldn't even constitute a foul, resulted in a red card and the Slovak was off to the locker room.

With that, Levski went on looking for the winner but it never came. October 2 is the second leg in Sofia and Levski certainly do have something to look forward to, after a decent performance in Slovakia last night.

The rest of the games from the UEFA Cup qualifier are as follows:

FC Moskva v Kobenhavn 1-2; Cherno More Varna v Stuttgart 1-2; Slaven Koprivnica v CSKA Moskva 1-2; Tel Aviv v St Etienne 1-2; Banik Ostrava v Spartak Moskva 0-1; Portsmouth FC v Vitoria 2-0; Wolfsburg v Rapid Bucharest 1-0; AC Omonia v Man City 1-2; Nancy v Motherwell FC 1-0; Feyenoord v Kalmar FF 0-1; Hamburg v Urnirea Urziceni 0-0; Brann v Deportivo 2-0; Slavia v Sc Vaslui 0-0; Austria Wien v Loch Poznan 2-1; Besiktas v Metalist Kharkov 1-0; Timisoara v Partizan 1-2; Nijmegen v Dinamo Bucharest 1-0; Young Boys v Club Brugge 2-2; Kayserispor v PSG 1-2; Bellinzona v Galatasarai 3-4; Real Racing Club Santander v Honka Espoo 1-0; Dinamo Zagreb v Sparta 0-0; Sevilia v Salzburg 2-0; Sampdoria v Kaunas 5-0; Milan v Zurich 3-1; Borussia Dortmund v Udineze 0-2; Brondby v Rosenborg 1-2; Rennes v Twente 2-1; Borac v Ajax 1-4; Napoli v Benfica 3-2; Everton v Standard de Liege 2-2; Tottenham v W Krakow 2-1; Braga v Artmedia 4-0; Vitoria v Heerenveen 1-1; Maritimo v Valencia 0-1