Beitar Jerusalem Suffers Humiliating 4-1 Season Opener Defeat

Beitar Jerusalem began their Israeli Premier League season with a disappointing 4-1 home loss to Maccabi Netanya at Bloomfield Stadium. Goalkeeper Miguel Silva was forced to make four saves as the team's midfield struggled to assert control throughout the match. A significant portion of the criticism was directed at player Boris Enow, who has been performing poorly against his former club. "We thought the meeting with family would do him good. Since Yarin left, he's not on track, he needs help, and he didn't get it yesterday," club sources commented.

Almog Cohen made his debut as head coach, implementing a high press strategy. However, Netanya's quick attack exploited Beitar's defense, creating numerous scoring opportunities. The team also suffered an injury during the game when Nana Antwi was hurt and had to be substituted for evaluation. Daniel Vorku was brought in to bolster the defense, but the team's collapse became evident in the second half.

Club officials acknowledged that they expected a learning curve for Cohen, stating, "We knew we would pay tuition for Cohen; no coach becomes successful overnight. He has many shares in Beitar Jerusalem, he knows what to do and what needs to be fixed going forward." Despite the heavy defeat and disappointment, the club emphasized that their season goals remain unchanged, and they will focus on learning from mistakes for their next match.

Beitar also believes that the limited availability of Yarden Shua, who only entered the game in the 60th minute due to fitness issues, impacted their performance. They hope he will be able to start in their upcoming game against Hapoel Tel Aviv. The club is also working to expedite the signing of Colombian midfielder Alexis Serna from Independiente Medellín.