VAR Overrules Be'er Sheva's Go-Ahead Goal in Champions League Qualifier

Hapoel Be'er Sheva suffered a controversial setback in their Champions League qualifying match against Vikingur Reykjavik in Iceland on July 25, 2026, after a go-ahead goal was disallowed for offside. The goal, scored by Niv Yehoshua, was annulled just 2.5 minutes into the match due to a passive offside call involving Zahy Ahmad, who was deemed not offside. The decision was confirmed after a VAR review, which is used throughout the Champions League qualifiers.

The match referee was Slovakian official Philip Glova, who has experience officiating in his country's cup final and the Europa League group stages over the past six seasons but has never refereed a Champions League match before. Be'er Sheva players expressed strong frustration over the disallowed goal, questioning the offside call and the VAR process, with one player sarcastically comparing the VAR review to an intensive Shin Bet investigation.

Following the 2-1 loss, Be'er Sheva now faces the imperative of winning the next leg to advance to the next round of the Champions League qualifiers. The incident has sparked criticism within the club regarding the officiating and the VAR decision, highlighting the high stakes and scrutiny involved in European competition for Israeli clubs.