Hapoel Be'er Sheva Disappointed After Loss to Crete, Coach Calls Performance 'Worrying'

Hapoel Be'er Sheva suffered a 2-0 defeat to Greece's OFI Crete on Thursday, marking their third consecutive loss in the Europa League and leaving them with only one point. With remaining matches against strong opponents like Besiktas, Juventus, Celta Vigo, and Bournemouth, the Israeli champions' chances of advancing to the next stage are slim. Despite controlling possession for 60% of the game and creating chances, the team conceded two goals from set pieces and failed to convert their own opportunities. Approximately 700 fans attended the home game, which was played in Bucharest, Romania.

Coach Ran Kozuch expressed his disappointment, stating, "We are not supposed to concede the two goals we conceded. Attention at this level needs to be different." He added, "We reached their box 30 times and shot at goal 16 times. We needed to bring more intensity, which we didn't. This worries me a lot. Today we didn't show up enough." Kozuch also noted that the team needs to perform better in upcoming matches.

Looking ahead, Hapoel Be'er Sheva faces an important league match against Hapoel Tel Aviv on Sunday. To manage player fatigue, Kozuch rested several key players, including captain Miguel Vítor, Pedro Amador, Javon East, and Igor Zlatanović, none of whom started the match against Crete. These players are expected to start against Hapoel Tel Aviv.

Injured midfielders Lucas Ventura and Eliel Peretz are likely to miss the upcoming league game and are not expected back until after the international break. The club congratulated Niv Yehoshua on his debut call-up to the Israeli national team, hoping the increased workload from potential national team appearances against Kosovo and Austria will not negatively impact him.