Hapoel Beer Sheva defeated Vinkingur 2-0 (3-2 on aggregate) to advance to the Third Round of UEFA Champions League qualifying and also guaranteed a place in one of the continental competitions this season.

Following the match, Head Coach Ron Kozuk spoke about the team’s accomplishment, “The players have secured a European campaign for Hapoel Beer Sheva after a very, very long time. I’m first and foremost happy for the club. It’s Tu B’Av, so first of all, this is for my wife, who always supports me. Thank you for everything, it’s thanks to her as well, and thanks to the wives and partners of all the players.”

The bench boss also referred to the talk about the club’s poor start to the season, “There will always be talk. We focus on playing the best football we can. We faced an excellent opponent that’s in the 16th round of its domestic league, so it’s always difficult. Just a small note, in our previous match, the team covered more than 122 kilometres. Those are numbers we usually reach only once or twice a season, and we’re supposedly still in the preparation phase for the Israeli league.

“We’re still building the team because there are many things that need to change and improve, and a large part of that is beyond our control. We’re working very hard to build a strong Hapoel Beer Sheva side. At the same time, there’s the pressure and the challenge of taking Hapoel Beer Sheva one step further. We’ve talked about it a lot over the past two years, and thank God we’ve done it. I’m very proud of my players. They’ve gone through some very difficult days, and I wasn’t easy on them either. I’m incredibly proud of their performance today, and congratulations on reaching the league stage.”

Kozuk spoke about what changed in the second half, “At halftime I calmed the guys down. The Icelandic team came out pressing hard again, but that was part of our game plan. We knew that as time passed, with the weather and the pitch conditions, they would tire. We saw that in the second half.

“I reminded them of our principles and asked them to keep doing the things we’d talked about before the game. We knew we’d push them deeper, we knew we’d create chances from the flanks, and we knew we had players on the bench who could decide the match. Thank God, that’s exactly what happened.”

The bench boss knows that with Kings Kangwa leaving to Panathinaikos he will need to improve the squad, “It’s no secret, we’ll need to strengthen the squad. I’m very happy we’ve secured a place in the league stage, but our ambitions are even higher than that. It won’t be easy; it’ll be very difficult. We’ll face excellent teams, including Red Star. But in football, anything can happen. We’ll be there, we’ll fight, we’ll be brave, and we’ll play our football. God willing, the Holy One has more good surprises in store for us, and that’s what we’re aiming for.”

Beer Sheva had some supporters in the stands for their home game in Hungary but Kozuk is aware that the club will need plenty more to push the team, “First of all, the fans helped us a lot. They were nervous at the beginning, which is understandable. But the fans need to understand and this isn’t the first time I’ve said it, that we need their support. The players, the staff, and I all need tremendous support.

“We’re strong and we know what we need to do, but in the end, the Hapoel Beer Sheva family isn’t just the coach, the staff, the players and the owner Alona Barkat. It’s everyone together. The supporters are at the heart of it all, and they need to understand the responsibility they have. I’m happy they came today, and I hope they’ll come to the next match as well, cheer us on, and support us in the difficult moments. That’s incredibly important and I’m glad we managed to make them happy.”

Kozuk’s dream of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League is still alive and well as they head to the next round, “It starts with one match against Red Star and from there you can dream. But to dream, you first have to work very hard. We’ll start with hard work, and then whatever God gives us, we’ll be grateful for.”