Israeli teams began their respective European journeys over the weekend, with three clubs picking up valuable first-leg wins, while Hapoel Beersheba slipped up in Iceland.
Beitar Jerusalem defeated AEK Larnaca 1-0 as Brayan Carabali’s magnificent second-half free-kick strike gave the yellow-and-black the victory in the UEFA Conference League second-round first-leg qualifying match. Almog Cohen’s team will look to advance to the third round, where the winner of the Austria Wien and Lepaja clash will be waiting, as the second match of their two-legged tie with the Cypriot side will take place next Thursday in Ploiesti, Romania, just outside Bucharest.
AEK began the game pressing Beitar as they created a number of chances off corner kicks, but Jan Repas missed the target while Riad Bajic’s opportunity hit the woodwork early on. Omer Atzily and Eugene Ansah began to propel the Beitar attack following the hydration break as the yellow-and-black started to ramp up its offense with multiple corner kicks, but couldn’t find the back of the net as the match went into the break goalless.
Noam Muche, Daniel Worko and Yarden Cohen all had chances to get the second half underway, while Head Coach Almog Cohen made a triple substitution, with Shon Weissman, Johnbosco Kalu and Timothy Muzie entering the fray in the 57th minute. Worko, Ansah and Kalu pressed to break the deadlock, while at the other end, Hrvoje Milicevic’s free kick was saved by an alert Miguel Silva.
Beitar kept pushing for a breakthrough and found it in the 77th minute when Brayan Carabali blasted a free kick past a helpless AEK keeper Antreas Paraskevas. The opportunity came after AEK defender Mike Van der Hoorn was sent off with a straight red card for pulling down Muzie as he made his way toward goal. From there, with the extra man, it was all Beitar for the balance of the match as the yellow-and-black wrapped up the victory.
Beitar overcomes slow start to dominate AEK
“We had some difficulties at the start of the game,” Beitar Jerusalem coach Almog Cohen began. “We wanted to find our rhythm and move the ball, but AEK came out with a high press, and it took us around 15–20 minutes to find the spaces. During the first 20–25 minutes, they managed to create a few chances, but after that, I think there was only one team on the pitch. The second half was completely ours, and I don’t think they even had a single shot on target.
“I was very pleased with my players and the effort they showed. Once we had the numerical advantage, I wanted us to move the ball more quickly, create more chances and try to score another goal. In knockout matches, you have to recognize moments like that and understand when there is an opportunity to extend your lead.
At the end of the day, I have to give a lot of credit to my players. They faced a very good team with quality both on and off the ball, as well as plenty of experience. I’m very happy with the result.”
Maccabi Tel Aviv blanked Sheriff Tiraspol 5-0 as Sayed Abu Farchi scored a brace to propel the visitors to victory in UEFA Europa League second-round first-leg qualifying play.
Kenny Miller’s squad will now turn its attention to next Thursday’s return leg in Batumi, Georgia, against the Moldovan side as it looks to advance to the third round, where it would face the winner of the CSKA Sofia and Qarabag matchup.
The yellow-and-blue came out flying and produced chances galore as Sayed Abu Farchi headed home an Ido Shachar ball from close range, while Dor Peretz slotted home a Roy Revivo pass from inside the box to give Maccabi a 2-0 lead at the break. Miller’s team kept pouring on the offense in the second half as Abu Farchi completed his brace from the penalty spot, while Sagiv Yehezkel and Issouf Sissokho also found the back of the net to polish off the one-sided win.
“We wanted to win the game, and we came with the right approach,” Kenny Miller said. “This is only our second game of the season, and we need to make sure we’re building momentum for the next round and for the start of our league campaign. We knew it would be a difficult match, and we had to produce our best performance. I think we showed that for large stretches of the game.
“We were the better team tonight. We scored five goals and could have scored even more, so we’re very pleased with both the result and the performance. It was a result we fully deserved; there’s no doubt about that. We started the game really well with an early goal, and we should have scored more in the first half. We also scored some excellent goals in the second half.”
Hapoel Tel Aviv defeated Ludogorets 2-0 as Omri Altman and Chico gave the Reds a valuable victory ahead of their UEFA Conference League second-round first-leg qualifying match next Thursday in Bulgaria.
Altman and Chico lead Hapoel Tel Aviv to victory
The Reds got on the board late in the first half as Omri Altman took a Stav Turiel ball and scored to give Hapoel Tel Aviv a 1-0 lead just ahead of halftime. Elyaniv Barda’s team looked to double the advantage with smart, quick passes, and they nearly did so, but Daniel Dappa’s chance hit the woodwork and then just missed the target. Chico then pounded the ball home to give Hapoel a 2-0 win.
Hapoel Beersheba fell to Vikingur 2-1 on Nikolaj Hansen’s brace, which gave the Icelandic hosts the lead in UEFA Champions League second-round qualifying first-leg action.
After a goalless first half, Hansen scored from close range early in the second half to give the hosts a 1-0 lead in the 48th minute. Kings Kangwa drew his side level just two minutes later, but it was Hansen who found the winner in the 88th minute when he stabbed the ball home to give the Icelandic side a narrow one-goal victory ahead of the second leg, slated for next Tuesday in Hungary due to the security situation in Israel.
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