Hapoel Be'er Sheva Falls in Champions League Playoff, Drops to Europa League

Hapoel Be'er Sheva was eliminated from the UEFA Champions League playoff round for the first time in its history after losing 5-2 to Sabah FC of Azerbaijan in the second leg in Baku on Tuesday. The aggregate score was 6-4 in favor of Sabah, sending Be'er Sheva to the secondary European competition, the Europa League, where they will play eight group stage matches. Due to security concerns in Israel, Be'er Sheva will host their four home group matches in Bucharest.

Igor Zlatanović scored for Be'er Sheva in the 10th minute, and Guy Mizrahi added a goal in the 61st minute. Sabah equalized twice, in the 38th and 74th minutes. Be'er Sheva was close to a historic qualification to the Champions League group stage but conceded a late goal in stoppage time, forcing extra time. During extra time, Be'er Sheva's defender Jibril Diop was sent off in the 100th minute, and Sabah scored two quick goals in the 101st and 115th minutes, sealing a 5-2 defeat. Eliel Peretz also received a red card in the 117th minute.

In the first leg, Be'er Sheva overcame an early deficit to win 2-1 with goals from Javon East and Igor Zlatanović. Over 1,000 Be'er Sheva fans celebrated in Bucharest, where the team is temporarily based due to the security situation in Israel. Had they advanced, Be'er Sheva would have become the fourth Israeli team to reach the Champions League group stage, joining Maccabi Haifa, Maccabi Tel Aviv, and Hapoel Tel Aviv. This marks the seventh time an Israeli club has competed in the Champions League group stage, the last being Maccabi Haifa in the 2022/23 season.