“Zahi Ahmed breaks the deadlock against the run of play, converting to make it 1-0. Be'er Sheva had been building through set-piece pressure — two corners in the preceding minutes — before Ahmed applied the finish that separated the sides at half-time.”
Pivotal“Crvena Zvezda make a sweeping triple substitution at half-time, sending on Marko Arnautovic, Muhammed Cham, and Muhammad Abu Rumi as they chase a way back into the tie — a clear signal that the away side felt their first-half performance demanded urgent changes.”
“Eliel Peretz is flagged for offside, chalking off what could have been a vital goal for Hapoel Be'er Sheva as they pressed on the counter. The decision kept Red Star's hopes of an away goal alive, but the home side's lead remained intact.”
Hapoel Be'er Sheva
Crvena Zvezda
Hapoel Be'er Sheva produced a classic smash-and-grab in the Negev, doing the bare minimum with the ball — just 42% possession and three shots — yet walking away with a 1-0 first-leg lead that Crvena Zvezda will be furious about. Zahi Ahmed's 38th-minute finish, coming after a spell of corners and set-piece pressure, was Be'er Sheva's only shot on target all night, yet it proved enough. Red Star dominated every meaningful attacking metric — 11 shots to three, 77 dangerous attacks to 36, and seven efforts on target that their hosts' goalkeeper heroically repelled with six saves — but the Israeli side's defensive resilience, and a healthy slice of fortune, held firm. The match grew increasingly feisty after the interval, culminating in Matan Baltaxa's dismissal on 58 minutes after collecting a second yellow card, which could have unravelled Be'er Sheva's lead but ultimately did not. Red Star travel back to Belgrade with the knowledge that they bossed this tie territorially yet have a deficit to overturn — a flattering scoreline for the hosts, and a deeply frustrating one for Vladan Milojević's side.
How entertaining was this match?
Corner awarded.
Substitution: Mohammad Kanaan comes on for Eliel Peretz.
Yellow card issued to Nair Tiknizyan.
Yellow card for Muhammed Saracevic.
Amit Ohana is substituted for Javon Romario East.
Derrick Luckassen receives a yellow card.
Derrick Luckassen receives a red card.
Loizos Loizou is on, and Bruno Duarte da Silva is off.
Aleksandar Katai comes on for Osman Bukari.
Goal! The score is now 2-0.
Goal! The score is now 2-0.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Yellow card issued to Itay Rotman.
Pedro Miguel Santos Amador is substituted off for Guy Mizrahi.
Yellow card issued to Itay Rotman.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Eliel Peretz receives a yellow card.
Second yellow card shown to Matan Baltaxa.
Yellow card shown to Matan Baltaxa.
Corner awarded.
Marko Arnautovic is substituted off for Vasilije Kostov.
On Muhammed Saracevic, off Mohammed Abo Fani.
Timi Max Elsnik comes on for Mirko Ivanic.
Mohammed Abu Rumi comes on for Igor Zlatanovic.
The first half ends with a score of 1-0.
Strahinja ErakovicYellow CardStrahinja Erakovic receives a yellow card.
Strahinja Erakovic receives a yellow card.
Goal! The score is now 1-0.
Corner awarded.
Corner awarded.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva face a stern Champions League qualifying test against a Crvena Zvezda side that demolished Larne 9-0 on aggregate in the previous round. The first leg takes place on neutral ground in Szombathely, Hungary, giving the Israeli champions a unique home-away dynamic to navigate.
