Hapoel Be'er Sheva Overcomes Early Deficit to Beat Sabah 2-1 in Champions League Playoff

On August 19, 2026, Hapoel Be'er Sheva secured a 2-1 victory over Sabah in a UEFA Champions League playoff match. The game started with Sabah taking an early lead in the sixth minute following a major error by Hapoel's Lucas Ventura. Despite dominating possession with 68% in the first half, Hapoel was initially behind. However, before halftime, Jebon East scored to equalize. The decisive moment came in the 79th minute when Igor Zlatanovic headed in the winning goal, completing the comeback.

This match followed a strong performance by Hapoel Be'er Sheva the previous week, where they impressed with dominant play against Red Star Belgrade at Marakana Stadium. Sabah, a team that, like Hapoel, has never reached the Champions League group stage, entered the match confident and applied high pressure early on, which paid off with their early goal. Nevertheless, Hapoel's control of the game and resilience led them to overturn the score and claim the win.

The victory keeps Hapoel Be'er Sheva's hopes alive for advancing to the Champions League group stage, marking an important step in their European campaign under coach Ran Kozuch.