Israeli media highlight Hapoel's defeat to Sabah - Digest

The victory of Baku football club Sabah over Israel's Hapoel Beer-Sheva and its qualification for the league phase of the UEFA Champions League received extensive coverage from leading Israeli news platforms.

Report prepared a digest of how Israeli media covered the teams' match in Baku.

One of Israel's largest news websites, Ynet, described Hapoel's defeat as "painful."

"The big dream collapsed at the very last moment and in the most painful way: Hapoel was about 10 seconds away from a historic qualification for the Champions League main stage," the outlet reported.

Ynet noted that the Israeli champions arrived in Azerbaijan with a 2-1 advantage from the first leg and took the lead twice in Baku. However, a goal conceded in the 94th minute sent the match into extra time, where Hapoel conceded twice more, received two red cards and eventually lost 5-2 to Sabah.

Summing up the tie, the outlet wrote that this was already the third, and perhaps the most painful, occasion on which Hapoel failed to reach the Champions League main stage.

The Times of Israel, one of the country's leading online newspapers, noted that no Israeli team has played in the Champions League main stage since 2022.

The newspaper said Sabah, having lost the first leg, leveled the tie, forced extra time and then defeated the Israeli club 6-4 on aggregate.

Haaretz, one of Israel's oldest and best-known newspapers, also highlighted Hapoel's missed opportunity to reach the Champions League main stage.

The newspaper noted that, after winning the first leg 2-1, Hapoel knew that avoiding defeat in Baku would be enough to advance.

Haaretz reported that despite Hapoel leading 2-1, Sabah continued to fight until the end.

"In the remaining time, Hapoel chose to sit back and protect the score. Goalkeeper Ofir Marciano's good performance saved the team several times. However, Sabah completed its comeback and made it 3-2 in the final seconds of regular time," the newspaper reported.

As a result, Haaretz said, Hapoel once again had to settle for playing in the UEFA Europa League.

Sports outlet Sport1 also described the match as shattered dreams.

"The start for the Israeli champions was almost perfect. However, during the first half, the Azerbaijanis gradually took control of the game," the outlet reported.

Sport1 highlighted that Sabah refused to give up despite falling behind. It noted that Rahmanaliyev equalized in the 74th minute, after which the hosts increased the pressure.

Marciano produced an excellent performance and made several saves, the outlet said. Just 17 seconds separated Hapoel from a historic achievement, but Sabah scored in the final attack of regular time in the 90+4th minute, making it 3-2 and 4-4 on aggregate and sending the match into extra time.

"Thus ended another attempt by Hapoel Beer-Sheva to reach the big stage of European football," Sport1 concluded, recalling the club's previous painful eliminations against Celtic and Maribor.