Israel Football Association chairman Shino Zuares praised Hapoel Be'er Sheva's victory over Red Star Belgrade, saying the club is one round away from a historic qualification to the UEFA Champions League that would be 'so significant for our football.'
Israel Football Association chairman Shino Zuares congratulated Hapoel Be'er Sheva on Tuesday night after the club defeated Red Star Belgrade 2-0 in Serbia, calling the achievement 'a magnificent victory' and saying the team is now one win from historic Champions League qualification that would be 'so significant for our football.' Zuares praised the coaching staff, owner Alona Barkat, and the traveling fans. The comment was reported by N12 sports journalist Ben Goldfriend.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva's progression was tracked live by The Zioneer throughout the night — from the scoreless first 25 minutes (21:28 Jerusalem) through the win that secured a Europa League group-stage berth and then a place in the Champions League playoff round, as first reported by Ben Goldfriend and later by i24NEWS. The club completed a double win over Red Star, having already won the first leg 1-0 despite playing a man down from the 60th minute (The Zioneer, Tue Aug 4).
The club's European campaign began earlier this season: Hapoel defeated Icelandic champions Vikingur 2-0 in the second qualifying round on July 29 (The Zioneer). The third-round draw had set them against the Red Star Belgrade–Larne winner. Now the Negev side stands one playoff round from becoming the first Israeli club to reach the Champions League group stage in years.
The opponent in that playoff is Azerbaijan's Sabah, who advanced past Aarhus. The second leg date has not yet been announced.
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