Hapoel Be'er Sheva Avoided Lockdown with A Europa League Berth

Hapoel Be’er Sheva clinched a Europa League group stage spot after a 1-0 win against Viktoria Plzen.

When Israel is getting into a nationwide lockdown due to the coronavirus outbreak, they managed to get an exemption.

Coming to a football match in the evening and hearing birds whistling is not something you will expect. That was the situation at HaMoshava Stadium before the Europa League playoff match between Hapoel Be'er Sheva and Viktoria Plzen. The coronavirus impacted the qualifiers rounds, making each stage to become a single-leg match without fans.

The home stadium for tonight is located in Petah Tikva, more than 100 km northern to Be'er Sheva. The original home stadium, Turner Stadium, has been the stage for international matches and the club’s finest moments in the Europa League, including a win against Inter and playing at the round of 32 against Beşiktaş. During the coronavirus break, structural problems were found at the roof, and Turner Stadium was closed temporarily. Not only they have to play without their fans, but they have also to play in an alternative stadium.

Behind the scenes, Hapoel Be'er Sheva had another reason to look for a win. Israel is under a nationwide lockdown, as the country is suffering one of the most severe coronavirus outbreaks in the world. As a result, the league was suspended. The Ministry of Health also decided to disallow teams' training, except those playing in European competitions. Hapoel Be'er Sheva is not playing only for a group stage berth and for their opportunity to keep and training until December.

Playing behind closed door, while Israel is under a nationwide lockdown (Shaul Greenfeld/JSport)

One of the biggest myths in Israeli football says that the team is vital as the foreigners in the squad. In less than two minutes, Elton Acolatse ran in the left-wing and crossed to the head of Jonathan Agudelo. While he tried to reach the ball, Aleš Hruška punched him, and Be'er Sheva got a penalty kick. Josué scored the penalty, and Hapoel Be'er Sheva got an early 1-0 lead. Three foreigners brought Hapoel Be'er Sheva's first lead.

The host manager, Yossi Abukasis, is well-known as one who knows how to lead underdogs. In every team he managed, he used the old defensive approach of 'parking the bus'. Surprisingly, although Viktoria Plzen was the clear favourite, Hapoel Be'er Sheva didn't stop to attack. They pressed until the 70th minute and missed a few chances with hitting the post twice and another one-on-one option.

In the last 20 minutes, Hapoel Be'er Sheva was exhausted, and Viktoria Plzen had an opportunity to find the equalizer. The Czech side tried time after time, but the defensive line and the goalkeeper Ohad Levita saved Hapoel Be'er Sheva from conceding. Plzen also tried to use their set pieces, with a set of drills for different ranges but missed the target.

Five minutes of additional time. The man in charge was Josué, the Portuguese player of Hapoel Be'er Sheva. When he was younger, he made four caps for the national team and played in Porto. Now, after a few seasons in Turkey, he found a new home in Israel. Many of Hapoel Be'er Sheva fans don't understand how it is even possible that such a talented player is playing in their team. In the last minutes, Josué used his body to hold the ball, and in the right moment, he kicked it on one of the defenders to get a corner kick. He has done it three times in a row before failing his fourth attempt, but the clock was ticking.

Josué, nobody understand how such a talented player is playing in Israel (Shaul Greenfeld/JSport)

In the end, Hapoel Be'er Sheva shocked Viktoria Plzen 1-0 and qualified to the Europa League group stage. The Israeli side is starting to build a new tradition, with their third group stage appearance in five seasons. For years, Hapoel Be'er Sheva was the ultimate Israeli minnows, as the team that had the biggest defeat for an Israeli club in European competitions, 10-0 against Roda in the 1997-98 UEFA Cup Winners' Cup. Now, they are standing proud and celebrating another success.

Their success would not be only their qualifying to the group stage, but they also confirmed that they could keep and training until the end of the group stage in December, in case that the government will decide to extend the lockdown. In such a complicated era, Hapoel Be'er Sheva is trying to make something normal. It seems that a campaign at the Europa League group stage can easily be their new normal.