Hapoel Beer Sheva Coach Apologizes After Humiliating 4-1 Loss to Maccabi Tel Aviv

Hapoel Beer Sheva suffered a significant defeat on Monday, losing 4-1 to Maccabi Tel Aviv in a league match at Turner Stadium. This latest loss adds to Beer Sheva's struggles against their rivals, having previously been defeated by Maccabi Tel Aviv in the State Cup final and the Champions of Champions Cup.

Beer Sheva's coach, Ran Kozuch, expressed deep disappointment with his team's performance, stating, "It was a very, very weak game from us. We need to apologize to those who came to watch us today, we will compensate them later. We didn't show up." He attributed the team's collapse to a "sloppy" first goal and subsequent disorganization, compounded by a penalty incident and a red card that left them with ten players. Kozuch acknowledged the team's lethargic play and failure to react to the early injury of key player Lucas, emphasizing the need for rapid improvement.

Despite the setback, Kozuch dismissed any connection between the loss and their recent Champions League elimination, stressing the team's goal of winning the league championship again. He noted that while qualifying for the Europa League at the start of the campaign was a realistic aim, significant improvements are needed.

Maccabi Tel Aviv coach, Keni Miller, celebrated a strong performance, highlighting an early goal and the team's control of the game after conceding. "We started very well. We scored early in the game and could have scored more," Miller said. "We gained control after conceding and could have scored five or six goals. This is a great display against an excellent team. The players gave everything."

Miller also commented on the team's resilience, noting that they recovered after Beer Sheva's penalty and red card incident. He added that Maccabi Tel Aviv focuses on their own game and maintaining their quality of play in Israel, regardless of external opinions.