Hapoel Be'er Sheva Suffers Humiliating Europa League Defeat, Faces Injury Concerns

Hapoel Be'er Sheva experienced a particularly grim evening in the Europa League on Thursday, concluding with a painful 4-0 loss in Germany to Union Saint-Gilloise of Belgium. This defeat marks one of the club's harshest in European competition and their largest since a 5-0 away defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League qualifiers in the summer of 2018, which signaled the end of their three-year championship era under coach Barak Bakhar.

Surprisingly, coach Ran Kochu's team started the match well against the Belgian opponent, who played in the Champions League last season. Be'er Sheva dominated the first third of the game and created several good scoring opportunities. However, Jabon East and Igor Zlatanovic failed to convert these chances. As the game progressed, the Belgians became more threatening, scoring a penalty in first-half stoppage time to take the lead.

In the second half, Union Saint-Gilloise took control, adding three more goals and could have extended their lead further. Goalkeeper Ofir Marciano prevented an even greater defeat, but could not stop the significant loss. Ironically, Be'er Sheva held more possession (53% to 47%) but conceded four goals without scoring. Kochu attributed the loss to his players "falling off their legs" in the second half, citing the physical disparity between the teams as a key factor.

After three rounds, Be'er Sheva has only one point out of a possible nine, ranking 30th out of 36 teams in the league standings, and is among eight teams yet to win. They will host Greece's OFI Crete in two weeks, considered the weakest opponent in their group. Another loss or even a draw could significantly hinder their chances of advancing, potentially forcing the club to reconsider squad management and priorities.

Beyond the scoreline, Be'er Sheva faces injury concerns. Right-back Guy Mizrahi was substituted with a hamstring injury, while center-back Itai Rotman complained of groin pain but finished the game. The club hopes Mizrahi's injury is not severe, but he is expected to miss the upcoming top-of-the-table clash against Maccabi Haifa on Monday at Sammy Ofer Stadium. Lucas Ventura is also likely to be absent with a similar hamstring issue, and Yoni Stoyanov is a candidate to replace Mizrahi in the starting lineup.