Hapoel Beersheba defeated Vikingur 2-0 (3-2 on aggregate) in UEFA Champions League second round qualifying late Wednesday night to advance to the third round, where Red Star Belgrade will be waiting.
The Southern Reds had a tough time breaking through the Icelandic defense but finally did so in the second half when Zahi Ahmed and Amir Ganah both scored late goals to see Ron Kozuk’s side through to the next round of qualifying.
With the victory, Hapoel Beersheba guaranteed European play this season as it will, at worst, participate in the Conference League league stage should it lose in the next two ties in the third round of Champions League qualifying and the playoff round of the Europa League. However, after taking out Vikingur, the sky’s the limit for the squad, and the Reds can still advance to either the Champions League or Europa League league phase.
Kings Kangwa played his final game with Beersheba and will now head to Panathinaikos, where he will sign a multi-year deal pending medicals, but on the positive side, the club brought in a few million Euros for making it through the second round of the Champions League qualifiers.
Along with the transfer funds, Kozuk will be looking to fill the Zambian’s place in earnest.
Following the match, Kozuk spoke about Beersheba’s accomplishment.
Kozuk credits families after securing European campaign
“The players have secured a European campaign for Hapoel Beersheba after a very, very long time. I’m first and foremost happy for the club. It’s Tu B’Av, so first of all, this is for my wife, who always supports me. Thank you for everything, it’s thanks to her as well, and thanks to the wives and partners of all the players.”
The bench boss also referred to the talk about the club’s poor start to the season.
“There will always be talk. We focus on playing the best football we can. We faced an excellent opponent that’s in the 16th round of its domestic league, so it’s always difficult. Just a small note, in our previous match, the team covered more than 122 kilometers. Those are numbers we usually reach only once or twice a season, and we’re supposedly still in the preparation phase for the Israeli league.
“We’re still building the team because there are many things that need to change and improve, and a large part of that is beyond our control. We’re working very hard to build a strong Hapoel Beersheba side. At the same time, there’s the pressure and the challenge of taking Hapoel Beersheba one step further. We’ve talked about it a lot over the past two years, and thank God we’ve done it. I’m very proud of my players. They’ve gone through some very difficult days, and I wasn’t easy on them either. I’m incredibly proud of their performance today, and congratulations on reaching the league stage.”
Kozuk also spoke about what changed in the second half.
“At halftime I calmed the guys down. The Icelandic team came out pressing hard again, but that was part of our game plan. We knew that as time passed, with the weather and the pitch conditions, they would tire. We saw that in the second half.
“I reminded them of our principles and asked them to keep doing the things we’d talked about before the game. We knew we’d push them deeper, we knew we’d create chances from the flanks, and we knew we had players on the bench who could decide the match. Thank God, that’s exactly what happened.”
The bench boss knows that with Kangwa leaving for Panathinaikos, he will need to improve the roster.
“It’s no secret, we’ll need to strengthen the squad. I’m very happy we’ve secured a place in the league stage, but our ambitions are even higher than that. It won’t be easy; it’ll be very difficult. We’ll face excellent teams, including Red Star. But in football, anything can happen. We’ll be there, we’ll fight, we’ll be brave, and we’ll play our football. God willing, the Holy One has more good surprises in store for us, and that’s what we’re aiming for.”
Beersheba counts on fans for next European challenge
Beersheba had some supporters in the stands for the “home” game in Hungary, but Kozuk is aware that the club will need plenty more to push the team.
“First of all, the fans helped us a lot. They were nervous at the beginning, which is understandable. But the fans need to understand, and this isn’t the first time I’ve said it, that we need their support. The players, the staff, and I all need tremendous support.
“We’re strong, and we know what we need to do, but in the end, the Hapoel Beersheba family isn’t just the coach, the staff, the players, and the owner Alona Barkat. It’s everyone together. The supporters are at the heart of it all, and they need to understand the responsibility they have. I’m happy they came today, and I hope they’ll come to the next match as well, cheer us on, and support us in the difficult moments. That’s incredibly important, and I’m glad we managed to make them happy.”
Kozuk’s dream of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League is still alive and well as the Reds head to the next round.
“It starts with one match against Red Star, and from there you can dream. But to dream, you first have to work very hard. We’ll start with hard work, and then whatever God gives us, we’ll be grateful for.”
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