Belgian Media Slams Hapoel Be'er Sheva Player for Brutal Foul

During a Europa League match between Union Saint-Gilloise and Hapoel Be'er Sheva, the Belgian team suffered two key player injuries within the first half hour. Matteo Biondic was stretchered off with an ankle injury, and shortly after, Darius Olaru sustained a severe injury from a foul by Hapoel Be'er Sheva's Niv Yehoshua.

Belgian media outlets heavily criticized Yehoshua's tackle. Sporza described the incident, which occurred in the 24th minute, as a "brutal foul on Olaru," noting that Yehoshua "suddenly brought down Olaru brutally, with a shoulder movement that directly hit the face of the Union player." Olaru required extensive medical attention and was unable to continue playing, forcing Union to substitute him. Dylan Akino replaced Olaru after a quick warm-up.

HLN also covered the incident, publishing a photo of the foul under the caption 'Yehoshua's hit on Olaru.' The report stated that the game was stopped due to the hard blow, which resulted in a yellow card for Yehoshua and necessitated treatment for the Romanian player.

DHnet commented on Hapoel Be'er Sheva's aggressive play throughout the match, noting as early as the 11th minute that their players were engaging in "aggressive play and numerous tough physical contacts in an attempt to win the ball." The tension escalated, with the referee attempting to calm players as nervousness increased on both sides. Union Saint-Gilloise players reportedly demanded a red card for Yehoshua after the foul on Olaru, who was left dazed by the impact and had to leave the field.