Hapoel Be'er Sheva hoped that tonight's match wouldn't be their last in the Conference League. Coming into the game against Austria Vienna, they knew they needed a win, and for the other match in their group to end favorably.
“Let’s make this a night to remember”, said the Israeli’s tifo, in the home end, echoing the sentiment.
Hapoel Be’er Sheva fans, another great performance of the ultras (Lior Mosko/Hapoel Be’er Sheva FC)
And at the start, it was looking like it would be.
They’re known for their effectiveness from corner kicks and, several times in the early stages these came close to putting the hosts in the lead.
Half an hour in, one of these kicks did just that. Sahib Jehezkel converting a corner from the left-hand side.
Almost simultaneously, reports came in of a Lech Poznan goal against Villareal - not what they needed.
But back in Israel, things were still going well. Two minutes later, Hapoel pushed forward quickly. Rotem Hatuel almost lost the ball in the box, but recovered quickly, laying it off to Ramzi Safuri, who easily scored from close range.
Thoughts turned back to the game in Poland. If that game ended in a draw, then Hapoel will qualify - if they win by four goals or more, that is.
Ramzi Safuri celebrates Hapoel Be’er Sheva’s second goal (Lior Mosko/Hapoel Be’er Sheva FC)
Just after the half, Lech Poznan scored their second goal.
It was clear that, even though Hapoel were nearing elimination, they felt they needed to give their fans ‘a night to remember’.
They scored their third goal just after the hour mark - the two substitutes, Tomer Yosefi and Italy Shechter, combined in a great partnership.
And, ten minutes later, they concluded their part of the deal. Dor Micha attempted a cross into the box, but the ball hit defender Johannes Handl, who knocked the ball into his own net.
A 4-0 win for Hapoel Be'er Sheva, at home. But it wasn’t enough..
Hapoel Be’er Sheva celebrates great win before the end of the campaign (Lior Mosko/Hapoel Be’er Sheva FC)
Elyaniv Barda, Hapoel Be'er Sheva manager, was a key player back in 2016/17, the last time they qualified for a European competition knockout stage.
"I think it was a decent campaign for our club," he said in the press conference after the match. "Our goal is to participate in these stages every season until we can make it, and qualify for the next stage."
Barda knows the long journey that the club has been on this season. It's not only the 12 matches they’ve played this year; Hapoel have managed to qualify for the group stage for the fourth time in the last seven seasons.
As they keep gaining experience in Europe, Barda and the team could do more next season. If that is the future, the fans will have more moments to remember.
Edited by Alex Smith
