Hapoel Be'er Sheva Advances to Champions League Playoff After Historic Win Over Red Star Belgrade

Hapoel Be'er Sheva achieved a landmark victory on Tuesday by defeating Red Star Belgrade 2-0 away, securing their place in the UEFA Champions League playoff round. This followed their 1-0 win in the first leg held in Hungary, marking one of the club's most prestigious European triumphs since their notable wins against Inter Milan in the Europa League group stage a decade ago. Their next challenge is against Sabah FK, the Azerbaijani champions, who recently won 4-0 against Denmark's Aarhus. The winner of this tie will make their debut in the Champions League group stage.

Sabah FK, founded in 2017 and based near Baku, has never reached the group stages of European competitions before. Their home stadium, Bank Respublika Arena, holds 8,600 spectators, but the upcoming second leg against Be'er Sheva will be played at Karabakh's larger stadium in Baku, which seats 31,200. The first leg between Be'er Sheva and Sabah is scheduled for next week at Rapid Bucharest's stadium, marking Be'er Sheva's first European match there.

In the match against Red Star, Be'er Sheva, coached by Ran Kojuch, dominated the game and scored both goals in the second half. Igor Zlatanovic scored after an assist from Jebon East, who also netted the opening goal. Veteran players captain Miguel Vitor and goalkeeper Ofir Marciano were particularly praised for their performances. Red Star's coach, Dusan Stankovic, who was sent off during the match, reportedly resigned following the defeat.

The club has already earned 9 million euros from reaching this playoff stage, with potential earnings nearing 20 million euros if they qualify for the Champions League group stage, a record for the team owned by Alona Barkat. Kojuch expressed immense pride in his players' performance and resilience under pressure.

Looking ahead, Be'er Sheva anticipates a demanding schedule with at least eight more European matches, either in the Champions League or Europa League group stages. To cope with this, the club plans to strengthen its squad by signing at least three new players, including two foreigners and one Israeli, focusing on central defense, midfield, and attack. They are reportedly interested in Israeli players Maor Levi from Maccabi Netanya and Yarin Levi from Maccabi Haifa, the latter having strong ties to Be'er Sheva.

The coaching staff is also expected to expand, with Kojuch aiming to add at least one assistant coach. Meanwhile, Be'er Sheva faces a domestic challenge this Saturday against Hapoel Haifa in the Toto Cup for fifth place. Despite requesting a postponement due to their busy schedule, the request was denied. Kojuch acknowledged the need for maturity to manage competing in multiple tournaments simultaneously. Injured player Niv Yehoshua will be evaluated for recovery after being substituted in the recent match.