Hapoel Tel Aviv Advances While Maccabi Tel Aviv and Beitar Jerusalem Falter in European Matches

Following Hapoel Be'er Sheva's surprising Champions League qualifying win over Red Star Belgrade, Israeli clubs faced mixed results in European competitions. Hapoel Tel Aviv continued the positive trend with a 2-0 home victory against Poland's Katowice in the Conference League qualifiers, securing a strong advantage ahead of next week's away leg. Omri Altman and Roi Elkukin scored early goals, with Elkukin's impressive lob over the goalkeeper marking the highlight. Despite some pressure from Katowice in the second half, Hapoel maintained control and could have extended their lead.

In contrast, Maccabi Tel Aviv suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat at home against CSKA Sofia in the Europa League third qualifying round first leg. The Bulgarian side dominated throughout, with Max Ebong scoring in the 9th minute, followed by Andrew Godoy and Joel Zwarts sealing the win. Maccabi struggled defensively and faced a daunting task to overturn the deficit in next week's return leg in Sofia.

Beitar Jerusalem also endured disappointment, losing 2-1 at home to Austria Vienna in the Conference League qualifiers. Beitar took an early lead through Noam Mocha, but conceded an equalizer just before halftime and then fell behind in the 70th minute to a goal by substitute Sanel Salic. The visitors controlled the second half, leaving Beitar with a challenging comeback ahead in the second leg. The winner of this tie will face Braga or Dinamo Minsk in the playoff round.

Overall, Israeli football's European campaign saw Hapoel Tel Aviv shine, while Maccabi Tel Aviv and Beitar Jerusalem struggled to maintain momentum after last week's successes.