Hapoel Be'er Sheva Faces Champions League Exit After Heavy Defeat in Baku

Hapoel Be'er Sheva suffered a crushing 5-2 loss to Sabah FC in Baku on Tuesday, resulting in their elimination from the UEFA Champions League qualifiers. The Israeli champions appeared close to advancing after taking a 3-2 lead, but conceded a goal 16 seconds before full time, forcing extra time where they collapsed and conceded two more goals. The team, visibly emotional, thanked around 650 traveling fans before retreating to the locker room.

Be'er Sheva started strong with a goal from Igor Zlatanovic but lost him to injury before halftime. Miguel Vitor also left injured and was ruled out from returning by team doctor Amit Kusto. Despite these setbacks, Guy Mizrahi scored to regain the lead but was later injured and substituted. During extra time, two players from Be'er Sheva, Jibril Diop and Eliel Peretz, were sent off under controversial circumstances, with the club criticizing the referee and VAR decisions. Diop, who has faced fan criticism recently, was singled out for poor performance and a second yellow card for kicking the ball in frustration.

Coach Ran Kozuch defended Diop, recalling his own past struggles with fan acceptance, and expressed confidence in the player's future contributions. Kozuch also emphasized the team's goal to win another Israeli championship and remain hopeful about qualifying for the Champions League in the future. A club source lamented the loss to a lower-budget team with 21 foreign players, highlighting the challenges faced.

Be'er Sheva will now compete in the UEFA Europa League, securing a financial grant exceeding eight million euros. The Europa League draw will take place Friday in Nyon, Switzerland. The team returns to Israel today and must quickly prepare for their league opener against Hapoel Ramat Gan on Saturday, despite missing key players due to injuries and suspensions from last season's cup final.