Maccabi Haifa eased into the second round of UEFA Champions League qualifying after knocking off Hamrun Spartans 2-1 (6-1 on aggregate) at a jam packed Sammy Ofer Stadium. Two second half goals by Erik Shuranov and Frantzdy Pierrot wiped out a Joseph Mbong first half strike to punch their ticket to the next stage of the competition.

Next up for the Greens is a date with Sheriff Tiraspol who have won the Moldovan League championship 21 out of the last 23 times along with capturing 12 Cups. Last season they played in the Europa League and have also taken part in the Champions League group stages two years ago when they stunned Real Madrid 2-1 in Spain.

Haifa is trying to close a deal to bring in defensive midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah who has played in England over the past decade while also having been part of the English National Team program.

“The fans gave us all goosebumps and I enjoyed every moment of it,” Haifa head coach Messay Dego began. However, I didn’t enjoy the game as much, especially the last half hour. It was important that we won our first home game and I hope that we will come in ready to go against Beitar Jerusalem in the Super Cup on Saturday. As for Chalaboh, my job is to coach and I am sure that a player who will be the right fit for Maccabi Haifa will arrive at the club.”

Lior Refaelov, who returned to the club after many years having played in Belgium also spoke about the game that was, “I had heard about the atmosphere here and I received such a warm welcome. The fans really support this club and are a true 12th man even in this crazy heatwave. We still have a lot to do and improve, but it was fun to return to the club and now we are looking forward to the next challenge.”