Beitar Jerusalem Draws 0-0 Away at AEK Larnaca in Conference League Qualifier

Beitar Jerusalem played their first European match of the season on Thursday evening against AEK Larnaca at the AEK Arena in Cyprus, in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League. The Israeli club, coached by Almog Cohen in his European debut, aimed to secure a favorable result ahead of the return leg next week. Cohen chose a midfield lineup featuring Boris Ano, Noam Motta, and Daniel Vorko, with Jordan Shua and a partially fit Omer Atzili leading the attack alongside Eugene Ansah. Gil Cohen replaced the injured Luka Gadrani in defense. On the opposing side, Israeli defender Yahav Gurfinkel was on the bench for AEK Larnaca, managed by the legendary Mauro Camoranesi. Notably, former Maccabi Tel Aviv player Enric Saborit was suspended due to a red card received in last season's round of 16 against Crystal Palace.

The match ended in a goalless draw, leaving the tie open for the second leg. Earlier, Hapoel Tel Aviv defeated Beitar Jerusalem 3-1 on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the Toto Cup, highlighting Beitar's recent competitive challenges. The lineups for the match were as follows: AEK Larnaca started with Andreas Fraskvass, Jorge Miramon, Hrvoya Milicevic, Mike van der Hoorn, Kostas Pilas, Ivano Pankov, Gous Ledsh, Jan Repas, Amor Layoni, Georghe Ivanovic, and Riyad Baich. Beitar Jerusalem fielded Miguel Silva, Nana Antwi, Brian Kavali, Gil Cohen, Jordan Cohen, Boris Ano, Noam Motta, Daniel Vorko, Omer Atzili, Jordan Shua, and Eugene Ansah.