Hapoel Beer Sheva sent a message to the entire Israeli football world: Don’t count out the reigning champions.

The Southern Reds made their statement loud and clear, overpowering Maccabi Haifa 5-2 in a contest that was effectively decided just ten minutes into the second half, despite a goalless opening 45 minutes.

After a relatively even first half, in which Ran Kozuk’s Beer Sheva controlled the opening 25 minutes before Barak Bachar’s Haifa took charge of the final 20, the match changed dramatically after the break. A Zlatanovic header and penalty, along with a Djibril Diop strike, put Beer Sheva firmly in control as the Greens were reduced to 10 men. From there, there was no looking back.

The victory provided a major boost for Beer Sheva after a disastrous Europa League outing against Royale Union Saint-Gilloise, who dismantled Kozuk’s squad 4-0 in a one-sided affair.

Taking a heavy beating is never pleasant, particularly in European competition and Beer Sheva appeared vulnerable heading into its clash with Haifa at Sammy Ofer Stadium. The expectation was that the Greens would take advantage of the champions’ European hangover and leapfrog Maccabi Tel Aviv back into first place.

But, as the saying goes, man plans and God laughs.

The version of Beer Sheva many expected to see remained far away from Mount Carmel. Instead, the Southern Reds arrived ready to roll, and they rolled all the way back to the top of the table.

Kozuk sees Europe as a blessing, not a curse

Beer Sheva’s Europa League campaign can be viewed in two very different ways. One perspective is that the competition is a drain on valuable time, energy, and resources, particularly with progression looking unlikely. The other is that European football provides an invaluable opportunity for the players, coaching staff, and club to gain experience, improve, and continue writing their own history.

Kozuk firmly subscribes to the latter view.

“First, I thank God that this is the period we are going through. We understand that we will learn a lot about ourselves and our football, and that we will improve by playing these tougher games in Europe,” Kozuk explained.

“Our goal is to go into these difficult games and come away with good results. I think we really succeeded in achieving what we wanted to over the past week and I believe this victory was a result of that loss.

“Many aspects of the game we won here were a result of that defeat in Europe. I am thankful every single day that we are participating in the Europa League and for the privilege of learning from these games against very high-quality teams. Ultimately, I see this as a blessing, not a curse.”

Beer Sheva captain Miguel Vitor wholeheartedly agreed with his coach’s assessment, emphasizing the work that went into preparing for the crucial league encounter despite the limited time available.

“We had a short time to prepare, but the staff and the players did their best to get ready for this game. Maybe we didn’t have many training sessions on the pitch, but we tried to prepare through video analysis and see what we could do to be better than them,” Vitor said.

“I think we showed that we need to focus just on football and not on the noise around us.”

A statement made from within

There was little doubt that the victory sent a message to Beer Sheva’s title rivals. However, Kozuk was keen to keep the significance of the result within the dressing room, using it to build confidence rather than publicly declaring that the champions were back on top.

For the Beer Sheva coach, humility remains the priority.

“This is true, but it’s inward, not outward,” Kozuk said. “Everything we need to feel about ourselves, we want to feel internally. We want to build that confidence within ourselves rather than prove something to someone else.

“It’s about understanding how, despite so many challenges, everyone undergoes some sort of personal change, not only because we participate in European games, but also because of everything that comes with them. We need to be there, to be strong, to understand what we’re doing, to play our football, continue playing our football, and record good results.”

Vitor echoed those sentiments, stressing the importance of the win for the team’s belief and its supporters.

“We knew how important this game would be for us as a team and for the fans and everybody around us. Of course, it’s three points like any other game, but it was important to show that we are in the fight and to demonstrate the quality and spirit of this team,” the captain said.

“I think this victory is very important, primarily for us, because it helps the team believe in ourselves and believe that we can do something great this season.”

For Beer Sheva, the message was clear. The European setback may have hurt, but the reigning champions are determined to use the experience to grow rather than allow it to derail their domestic ambitions.

Beitar Jerusalem Gets the Job Done as Cohen Emphasizes Collective Leadership

Beitar Jerusalem defeated Hapoel Petah Tikva 1-0 thanks to a first-half penalty from captain Yarden Shua. While the contest was unlikely to win any match-of-the-season awards, Almog Cohen’s side did what it needed to do, collecting all three points and keeping pace with the teams above it.

The victory also came at a venue where Beitar has often struggled, making the result all the more valuable. The Yellow-and-Black can now turn their attention to Saturday afternoon’s home matchup against Ironi Kiryat Shmona.

Sitting fifth and just four points off the top, Beitar is in a strong position at this early stage of the season.

One particularly interesting aspect of the victory, however, was Cohen’s decision to substitute Shua with roughly 10 minutes remaining while his team was protecting its narrow lead.

By that point, several of Beitar’s senior Israeli players had already left the pitch. Shua, Omer Atzily, Shon Weissman, and Tomer Yosefi were all done for the day, leaving the team without some of its most experienced domestic leaders.

Had a controversial incident occurred late in the game, such as a disputed penalty decision, Beitar might have found itself without one of its veteran Israeli players to approach the referee and make the team’s case.

With that in mind, I asked Cohen and Shua about the decision to remove the captain and the importance of leadership in a potentially tense closing stretch.

Cohen explained that he wants responsibility to be shared throughout the squad rather than concentrated in the hands of a few senior players.

“Ultimately, as a team, I don’t want us to rely on just two or three leaders,” Cohen said. “Obviously, we have those leaders, but as far as I’m concerned, every player is a leader. At the end of the day, we want a team in which everyone takes responsibility rather than passing it on to someone else. That’s the easiest thing to do.

“For me, every player who steps onto the pitch is responsible. As a coaching staff and as players, we believe strongly in ourselves and in the teammates who come into the game. I think they also did a good job.”

Cohen also explained how Boris Enow ended up wearing the captain’s armband, offering a humorous take on a decision that could easily have carried greater significance.

“First of all, I gave him the armband because I had 10 seconds to get off the pitch, and he was the closest player,” Cohen said with a laugh.

“Secondly, there isn’t really such a thing as one leader. Every one of us runs and gives everything, and that’s what leadership should be. Just because I might talk or direct people doesn’t mean I’m some kind of leader or anything like that. Every one of us works very hard, and everyone knows exactly what to do. Honestly, all 22 players are leaders in my eyes.”

For Cohen, the message extends beyond one substitution or the identity of the player wearing the armband. Beitar’s success, he believes, will depend on building a team in which every player is prepared to step up, take responsibility, and contribute when called upon.

The 1-0 victory may not have been spectacular, but it delivered the points Beitar needed and if Cohen has his way, the responsibility for earning the next three will rest with the entire squad.