Beitar Jerusalem Embraces Weisman Despite Penalty Shootout Loss to Hapoel Tel Aviv

In their Toto Cup quarterfinal match on July 18, Beitar Jerusalem was eliminated after losing 3-1 in a penalty shootout to Hapoel Tel Aviv. This was the first game coached by Almog Cohen, who experienced a defeat but remained optimistic about the team's performance. Despite missing key players including defenders Brian Carvalho and Luka Gadrani, midfielder Tomer Yosefi, and captain Yarden Shoa who entered late, Beitar dominated much of the match and created chances. The club expressed that if the result had been decided in regular play, victory would have been deserved.

Beitar praised debutants Daniel Vorko and Boris Inyo, as well as Sean Weisman, who came on as a substitute and scored a remarkable goal in the 76th minute. The club described Weisman as a significant reinforcement who integrated instantly. The penalty shootout, however, proved unlucky for Beitar, as they missed three of their four attempts, including shots by Ziv Ben Shimol, Timothy Mozi, and Boris Inyo.

Following the shootout, Beitar decided to change their penalty order for future matches. Captain Yarden Shoa, who had chosen to take the fifth penalty but did not get to kick due to earlier misses, will now take one of the first shots. If he opts out, the penalty will go to either Omer Atzili or Weisman, both of whom scored during the match and the shootout. Owner Barak Abramov highlighted the team's high pressing and initiative despite the absence of key players, emphasizing that luck was not on their side in the shootout.