Hapoel Be'er Sheva Suffers Disappointment After Europa League Loss

Hapoel Be'er Sheva returned from the Netherlands on Tuesday morning with significant disappointment following their 2-1 defeat to AZ Alkmaar in the second round of the Europa League. The team delayed their departure to Israel after the match, returning with a heavy sense of missed opportunity.

Sources within the club stated that the team should have secured a draw, and even had a chance to take the lead after Amankwaa Forson's equalizer. However, a penalty conceded by Djibril Diop, following a VAR review, proved decisive. Diop had a difficult game, also making an error that led to Alkmaar's first goal, with Idan Nahmias's defensive play also contributing to the opener. Both central defenders were cited for mistakes on the two goals conceded.

"We don't lose games like this in Israel," club sources commented, adding that such errors are costly in the Europa League. They acknowledged that Hapoel Be'er Sheva also benefited from an Alkmaar defender's mistake for their equalizer.

Nahmias sustained an injury during the match, believed to be a hamstring strain, which is expected to sideline him for several weeks. The central defensive pairing for the upcoming league match against Hapoel Jerusalem is likely to be Miguel Vítor and Itai Rotman.

Hapoel Be'er Sheva, currently holding one point from a draw against Dinamo Zagreb, expressed determination to earn points in the competition. "We came to one of the toughest away games in this league against Alkmaar in Holland. Without our crowd, without support from the stands, without a supportive atmosphere, and still, we were in the game for almost the entire duration. Hapoel Be'er Sheva is here and Hapoel Be'er Sheva will take points in the Europa League. We have six games left to do it."