Hapoel Beer Sheva captured the 2024\/25 Israel State Cup as they defeated Beitar Jerusalem 2-0 to win the coveted trophy was raised by former hostage Yair Horn together with team captain Miguel Vitor to the delight of their fans. Dan Bitton slotted home a 22nd minute penalty to give the southern reds a 1-0 lead while Zahi Ahmed scored on a terrific individual effort in the second half to secure the victory.<\/p>\n
Beer Sheva Head Coach Ran Kozuk, said after the victory, \u201cFirst of all, this is the last interview of the season and I think the success of this season is thanks to many people. First of all, we all hope and that the hostages will return home as soon as possible, that the IDF soldiers return healthy and safe, that the wounded will have a complete recovery and that there will be great comfort for all the soldiers and civilians that we lost. None of this would have happened if it weren\u2019t for them. I hope that next season we won\u2019t have to wear the special hostage pin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a strong team that is with me and we worked hard. There were difficult moments after losing the championship and we had to find a way to inspire the squad and raise their spirits. They were broken and angry and their thoughts went to places that I, as a coach, didn\u2019t want them to go. Every day we have challenges that this who are not on the pitch can’t understand. These guys go through a lot. They are winners. The best winners in the world,\u201d he concluded. <\/p>\n
Kings Kangwa also reflected on the win, \u201cI\u2019m very excited, we deserve this and now we want to enjoy it. We deserved to be champions too, we were the best team this season. As for next season, I have a contract with Hapoel Beer Sheva but I am not satisfied was to how we ended this year because I wanted the championship and now I am hungry to bring the double next season. I am staying here and we are all going to celebrate this win.\u201d <\/p>\n
Dan Bitton added, \u201cIt is very difficult to describe in words how I feel, it is a roller coaster of emotions. With all due respect, winning the cup is great but I must remember Gadi Kinda who is above it all. Everything that happened here is in his memory and to lift up his soul, I want to dedicate this victory to him. I appreciate that this is what Gadi would have wanted me to do for him. I hope I made him happy. I hope that he is looking at me and watching over me. I love you and I miss you.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe feeling of finishing the season like this is great but we wanted more, we wanted the championship too, but we will come back next season to take it all. This is a huge, an unforgettable year. Next year I hope we go even further.\u201d<\/p>\n
Beitar Jerusalem bench boss Barak Yitzhaki said, \u201cI never separate myself from my players, this is our place, fourth place, according to how the season went and according to the roster and the budget. We wanted to get to the championship playoffs and we were able to reach a spot that will allow us to attempt to qualify for Europe which is very significant. However, the end of the season is very disappointing and we should have ended it in a better way. We need to learn from it and look forward, there is certainly a good future for the club.\u201d<\/p>\n
Yarden Shua commented on the defeat, \u201cIt\u2019s terrible to lose any game, especially in the cup final but they played better and that\u2019s the truth, but we are making progress. I have already told the players that they should be proud of the season, we are in Europe and I am sure that Betar will be at the top. This was a successful season and we returned the team to the place it deserves be.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hapoel Beer Sheva captured the 2024\/25 Israel State Cup as they defeated Beitar Jerusalem 2-0 to win the coveted trophy was raised by former hostage Yair Horn together with team captain Miguel Vitor to the delight of their fans. Dan Bitton slotted home a 22nd minute penalty to give the southern reds a 1-0 lead […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":145258,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[21],"class_list":["post-145257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football-israel-2","tag-hapoel-beer-sheva","et-has-post-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n