Hapoel Be'er Sheva Coach Calls for Improvement After Narrow Win

Hapoel Be'er Sheva secured a second consecutive victory, defeating Kiryat Shmona 1-0 on Saturday to move into fourth place in the league standings. Amir Ganah scored the game's only goal, which proved decisive. Coach Ran Kozuch expressed satisfaction with the win but emphasized the need for improvement, stating, "We hold a lot of the ball, but we are not creating enough relative to that. We needed to use our energy to create much more." He added that the upcoming long break is an opportunity to address these issues.

Kozuch also commented on the team's overall development, noting, "We need to understand more things about our team. We are trying to have an element of freshness, to divide forces. We have a good enough and balanced squad and we will need to raise the level." He praised the fans for their support in the final 15 minutes and highlighted the performances of Ganah and goalkeeper Ofir Marciano, both of whom he believes are improving.

Ganah dedicated his goal to his future mother-in-law and wished her a speedy recovery. He explained his goal-scoring celebration and discussed his personal development, stating, "I am working not just to shoot from afar, but to diversify. When things work, confidence is gained." He also mentioned working on his finishing during the break.

Kiryat Shmona's coach, Shi Barda, lamented the missed opportunity, saying, "We pressed them here at Turner from the 30th minute and were worth at least a point. We managed to embarrass them several times, we didn't cancel ourselves out and played football." He acknowledged the team's struggles, with only one league win so far, but expressed optimism, "We are in the fifth round and it will take time to connect the team. Today we did everything right and the ball didn't go in."

Player Shi Ben David echoed the sentiment of missed chances, stating, "There is a feeling of missed opportunity. We were there throughout the game and even after the goal we played our game, pressed and didn't go back. In the end, we failed to score." He expressed pride in his teammates and confidence in their ability to secure points after the break.