Maccabi Haifa was stunned by Sabah FC 3-0 in the first leg of UEFA Conference League second round qualifying as Barak Bachar’s return to the Greens as they head coach was marred by a performance that has put the club’s European aspirations for the 2024/25 season in serious doubt.
The match that was held in Kisvarda, Hungary due to the ongoing war against Hamas in Israel was goalless for the first half but saw the Azerbaijani club score three unanswered goals in the second half to take the win and close in on advancing to the third round.
Pavol Safranko opened the scoring by heading home a free kick in teh 61st minute to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Jesse Sekidika doubled the advantage as he made his way into the box and found the right hand corner of the goal while Khayal Aliyev added Sabah’s third marker in the 88th minute to complete the shocking win setting up the second leg in Baku at the Alinja Stadium on Thursday August 1st.
“Obviously it doesn’t look good in terms of the result,” Barak Bachar said after the game. “We started the game decently, but we were’t sharp enough in the attacking part of the game and as it progressed we became very soft. The entire system that was put in place didn’t function properly, but we have to learn from this match and make teh corrections that is needed for the second leg next week.”
“When you lose 3-0 then everything was just poor. The way the game was managed, the starting lineup, the substitutions too, I am not going to run away from the responsibility. We failed in this game, but we have to pick ourselves up, analyze things and come in better next week.”
Bachar continued, “When the game is over, it’s easier to understand what the mistakes are. There are plenty of excuses. It is true that we are lacking some players and we will get stronger, but we are looking at what is now and not what will be, because now is what is important. We will go out with the same squad for the return match and try to improve things. We all want to continue our journey in Europe. If we don’t believe that it is possible to win the rematch and advance, then it is better to stay in Israel.”
“I want to congratulate my players who played very well,” Sabah head coach Krunoslav Rendulić began. “Of course we expected a tough game, Maccabi Haifa has a wonderful team, but nothing has been decided yet. We only played one game and there is another match. We will be focused this coming week and we should try to advance to the next round. I said we would have to give everything and whatever happens happens. I still think that Maccabi Haifa is the favorite, but of course we will have to prove ourselves on the field.”
While Haifa has a rich history in European play, the Greens have had some tough times in Europe throughout the years with surprising exits in qualifying rounds. Most recently, back in 2016, Haifa was eliminated by Estonian minnows Nomme Kalju FC 5-3 on penalties after a 1-1 aggregate score in the two legs of play while in 2020 the Greens fell to Dinamo Minsk 3-1 after having led 1-0 following the first game between the tow sides.
In other European qualification action, Hapoel Beer Sheva and Cherno More played to a goalless draw thanks to terrific play by former Israel National Team keeper Ofir Marciano in Lovech, Bulgaria which was the southern reds home game in the Conference League, first leg second round qualifying. Next week’s game will take place at the Ludogorets Arena in Razgrad, Bulgaria as each side will be looking for the winning goal that will send them to the third round of qualifying.
Maccabi Petach Tikva fell 2-0 to Braga from Portugal thanks to a pair of second half goals in the first leg of UEFA Europa League qualifying. After a scoreless opening 45 minutes, the hosts quickly struck with a pair of goals just a couple of minutes apart to close out the win and send the two-legged tie to Sofia, Bulgaria on Thursday where Petach Tikva will be playing their home games. Ricardo scored the first goal of the game in the 56th minute, while Rodrigo Zalazar scored via penalty just 3 minutes later to close out the victory.
“We controlled the game for the most part,” Braga Head Coach Daniel Sousa said after the clash. “This is what I had asked from my players, to control the pace of play, know how to defend properly and know how to attack the opportunity arises. This was all and all a good game from us as we created many chances and we also didn’t concede a goal which is very important.”
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