JERUSALEM — Two weeks after the first semifinal, Beitar Jerusalem patiently awaited the identity of their opponent in the Israeli Cup final.
At Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem, Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Hapoel Tel Aviv battled for the remaining ticket.
Hapoel Be’er Sheva entered the match as clear favorites. They currently top the Premier League and just this week opened a 3-point gap over Maccabi Tel Aviv. This semifinal wasn’t just a shot at reaching their fourth final in six years—it was a chance to edge closer to a historic first-ever league and cup double.
Hapoel Tel Aviv, one of the most storied clubs in Israeli football history, are currently playing in the second division. Despite recently missing two chances to clinch promotion, they still lead the league and are on the verge of returning to the top flight.
But beyond the clash of clubs, this match was a showdown between two familiar managers. Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Elyaniv Barda is a legend at Hapoel Be’er Sheva, where he shined as both player and coach. He led Be’er Sheva to last year’s cup final, only to lose to Maccabi Petah Tikva—managed by Ran Kojuch. The next day, Barda stepped down. A few days later, Kojuch replaced him on Be’er Sheva’s bench.
In rare scenes at Teddy Stadium, both sides of the pitch were awash in red. With 27,000 fans in attendance, anticipation was sky-high.
A fantastic display by Hapoel Tel Aviv fans. (Photo courtesy: Uri Levy/BabaGol)
FIRST HALF
Cup matches often serve as great levelers—but this time, Be’er Sheva quickly showed their superiority. In the 14th minute, a flowing passing move ended with Amir Ganah crossing from the left, and Arnold Garita heading home for a 1–0 lead.
By the 25th minute, it was two. Ganah played it to Helder Lopes, who swung in another left-wing cross. Hapoel Tel Aviv failed to clear, and Iuri Medeiros pounced from the edge of the box with a crisp volley—2–0.
Just before halftime, Tel Aviv's defense unraveled. In the 41st minute, Henrique Jocú lost the ball near his own box. Ganah stole it, rounded the keeper, and when Or Israelov tried to recover with a sliding clearance, he mistakenly scored an own goal—3–0.
Then came the fourth: a slick backheel from Ganah to Lopes, another pinpoint cross, and Garita once again was in the right place to head it in. Hapoel Be’er Sheva led 4–0 at the break.
SECOND HALF
The second half saw less urgency. Be’er Sheva began sluggishly and were reduced to ten men after Matan Baltaxa was sent off for a second yellow card within minutes.
Tel Aviv managed a consolation goal in the 64th minute, when Roee Alkokin curled a lovely shot over the keeper to make it 4–1.
But Be’er Sheva weren’t done. In the dying moments, Dan Biton sealed the scoreline with a superb direct free-kick, capping a commanding 5–1 victory.
This was more than just a win. With five league matches and a cup final to go, Hapoel Be’er Sheva are looking like Israel’s most dominant club this season. Kojuch and his players are now on a clear mission—to finish the job.
“We focus on ourselves”, said Hapoel Be’er Sheva’s coach Ran Kozuch. “It’s not only me, or the staff, or the players, we are a collective that works together for the same goal”.
“We haven’t won anything yet. We’ll take it one game at a time, and with the help of god, we’ll smile in the end of this process”.
Hapoel Be’er Sheva crushed Hapoel Tel Aviv 5-1 in the Israeli Cup semifinal, setting up a final clash with Beitar Jerusalem. A report from Jerusalem.