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Five nights

The nights nobody forgets

Three times CSKA knocked out a reigning or former champion of Europe. Twice they reached a semi-final. Here they are, with scores and sources.

One caveat, before the numbers

The scores below are verified. The ground is not. Wikipedia records who was at home, not where the match was played, and big European ties in Sofia were often moved to Vasil Levski for capacity. So this page does not claim these nights happened at Bulgarska Armia. It will, when there is something to prove it with.

The record

Seventeen years unbeaten at home

10
wins
4
draws
0
defeats

From the defeat by Hamburger SV on 20 October 2005 until 2022, CSKA did not lose a European match as hosts — ten wins and four draws.

The last side to win here was Hamburger SV, 0:1, on 20 October 2005 — a long-range goal by Rafael van der Vaart.

Beaten or held in that run: Viking · Dinamo Tirana · Hajduk Kula · Beşiktaş · Omonia · Toulouse · Riga · Admira · Titograd · Osijek · Sirens · BATE · B-36 · Liepāja

A note on the venue: the run is about home ties, not about this ground. Several of these matches were played at Vasil Levski because of capacity and UEFA requirements — CSKA v Beşiktaş on 2 December 2010, for one, which FCCSKA.com places at Vasil Levski. So nothing here claims the whole run happened at Bulgarska Armia. FCCSKA.com

The CSKA side lines up before a Europa League match against Osijek in July 2019; behind them the old stand is full.
The side before Osijek, July 2019 Biser Todorov · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons
CSKA’s ultras in sector Г of the old ground — a dense mass of people, scarves and flags.
Sector Г BOBSON MEDIA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Commons

Topsport

  1. 01 1966/67 European Cup · semi-final

    Inter

    1:1 and 1:1

    out after a play-off

    Both legs finished 1:1. The tie was settled by a third match in Bologna, won 1:0 by Inter.

    The club’s first European semi-final.

  2. 02 1973/74 European Cup · first round

    Ajax

    0:1 away · 2:0 at home

    through, 2:1 on aggregate

    Ajax arrived as two-time winners of the trophy. They lost 0:2 in Sofia and went out.

    The champions of Europe, knocked out.

  3. 03 1980/81 European Cup · first round

    Nottingham Forest

    1:0 and 1:0

    through

    Forest were the reigning holders. They lost both legs 0:1.

    A reigning champion knocked out again.

  4. 04 1981/82 European Cup · quarter-final

    Liverpool

    0:1 away · 2:1 at home

    through

    Beaten in England, CSKA turned the tie around at home against the champions of Europe.

    A third European champion out of the tournament.

  5. 05 1981/82 European Cup · semi-final

    Bayern Munich

    4:3 at home · 0:4 away

    out

    A 4:3 win at home, then 0:4 in Munich ended the strongest European run in the club’s history.

    The second and last semi-final.

CSKA supporters in the stand with scarves held up.
The ultras Чигот · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons
CSKA in a friendly against RB Salzburg in July 2019.
Friendly against RB Salzburg, July 2019 Werner100359 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Commons

A 2019 friendly, not one of the ties above. Free-licensed match photography of those nights does not exist — nothing here pretends otherwise.

All scores per bg.wikipedia.org/wiki/ПФК_ЦСКА_(София). If you find a match report naming the ground, send it and the page gets updated.