Hapoel Tel Aviv Stands Firm in Italy, Maccabi Tel Aviv Faces Defeat in Switzerland
Hapoel Tel Aviv walked into Italy as underdogs and walked out with their European dream very much alive. A goalless draw against Atalanta in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League Playoff tie felt anything but empty.
No goals. Plenty of statement.
Backed by around 1,500 travelling supporters, Hapoel pressed high from the opening whistle, refusing to be cowed by the Serie A side. The Reds tried to force errors, hunting for a turnover that could tilt the night their way. Roie Alkukin whipped an early cross into the Atalanta area that just missed its target, and Omri Altman’s corner was cleared before it could cause damage, but the intent was clear.
Both teams then slipped into a tense, tactical battle. Space vanished. Chances dried up. Each side prodded and probed, looking for a crack that never quite appeared as the first half drifted to a stalemate.
The pattern barely shifted after the break. Neither wanted to be the one to blink first. Hapoel coach Elyaniv Barda tried to jolt the game to life with a double change, sending on Xander Silva and Mor Buskila to add fresh legs and a bit of chaos in the final third. The match, though, remained tight, almost nervy, with every misplaced pass drawing groans from the stands.
Then, right at the death, Atalanta finally found a burst of quality. Twice.
Ederson broke free in stoppage time and unleashed back-to-back efforts that looked destined to break Israeli resistance. Both times Assaf Tzur stood firm, producing sharp saves that preserved the clean sheet and, with it, Hapoel’s belief heading into the return leg in Miskolc, Hungary — their home-away-from-home for this campaign.
Barda had every reason to sound satisfied afterward.
“We can congratulate the guys on a very good performance. We stuck to our principles and played our football against a great team, so the players deserve congratulations,” he said. “Having said that, it ended 0–0, and we have a second leg in which we’ll want to reproduce this performance. In the end, we stood firm and insisted on doing what we had worked on. There is still room for improvement, but the better chances were ours.”
On the opposite bench, Maurizio Sarri acknowledged the struggle.
“I expected a difficult game. They were superior to us physically. We lack fluency in our play; every time we receive the ball, we think, and that slows us down,” he admitted. “Nevertheless, there are also positive aspects: in our last three games, we haven’t conceded a goal.”
So the tie heads to Hungary on a knife-edge. Atalanta hold the pedigree. Hapoel carry the momentum and a clean sheet. One of them will step into the Conference League group stage; the other will be left wondering how this stalemate slipped away from them.
Maccabi punished in Lugano after costly errors
If Hapoel’s night in Europe was about resilience, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s was about regret.
In Lugano, the yellow-and-blue fell 2-1, undone by a poor clearance, a rash challenge and a missed chance to bring a stronger result back to their temporary base in Batumi, Georgia.
The warning signs came early. Lugano pressed aggressively, snapping into tackles and disrupting Maccabi’s rhythm. The visitors struggled to settle, and the breakthrough arrived on the half-hour mark after a moment they will want to forget.
Goalkeeper Ofek Meilika failed to clear his lines cleanly, handing the hosts a platform to attack again. Lugano seized it, recycled possession and worked the ball into the danger area, where Kevin Behrens met a cross and nodded it home for 1-0 in the 30th minute. One mistake, one punishment.
Maccabi, though, did not fold.
Just after the restart, they struck back with a move of real quality. Roy Revivo delivered a superb cross from the left, picking out Ido Shahar’s run. The midfielder, on his 25th birthday, timed it perfectly and slotted in the equalizer in the 47th minute. Suddenly the game opened up, and Maccabi looked ready to tilt the tie.
The optimism didn’t last.
Tyrese Asante clipped Yanis Cimignani in the box, and the referee pointed to the spot. Anto Grgic stepped up and calmly converted, restoring Lugano’s lead at 2-1 and swinging the momentum back to the Swiss side.
From there, Maccabi chased the game. Shahar pushed for a second, Dor Peretz tried to drag his team level, Revivo continued to drive forward from the flank. Chances came, but none found the net. Kenny Miller’s side will head into the second leg trailing by a single goal, knowing they left opportunities behind.
Miller, though, chose to focus on the reaction he saw after halftime.
“It was a good game. I’m coming away with very positive feelings about our performance in the second half. I have no doubt that we can get the win next week,” he said. “The Lugano players were very aggressive in the first half. They pressed us and made it difficult for us to settle and find our rhythm. The second half was completely different. We created several promising attacks, found a much better rhythm and had a lot of possession.”
Shahar’s birthday goal offered little consolation.
“Honestly, I would have been much happier if we had won and received the perfect birthday present,” he said. “I’m happy about the goal, but unfortunately we lost in the end. Nevertheless, we fully believe that with the support of the fans next week in Batumi, we will get the job done.”
So the picture is clear for Israel’s representatives in the Conference League playoffs. Hapoel Tel Aviv return to Miskolc with a clean slate and a giant to finish off. Maccabi Tel Aviv go to Batumi needing to overturn a one-goal deficit.
Two second legs. Two very different paths. One question: which of them will still be standing when Europe’s group-stage lights switch on?
