{"id":12097,"date":"2026-08-05T10:23:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T07:23:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/tz\/news\/?p=12097"},"modified":"2026-08-05T12:29:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T09:29:19","slug":"hapoel-beer-sheva-beat-red-star-belgrade-1-0-in-dramatic-ucl-qualifier","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/tz\/news\/hapoel-beer-sheva-beat-red-star-belgrade-1-0-in-dramatic-ucl-qualifier\/","title":{"rendered":"Hapoel Be\u2019er Sheva Beat Red Star Belgrade 1-0 in Dramatic UCL Qualifier"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Hapoel Be\u2019er Sheva moved one step closer to a historic UEFA Champions League main-draw appearance after securing a tense 1-0 first-leg victory over Red Star Belgrade in their third qualifying-round tie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playing at their adopted European home in Szombathely, Hungary, the Israeli side survived sustained pressure, a second-half dismissal and several dangerous Red Star attempts to claim only their second victory in five European matches at the Halad\u00e1s Sportkomplexum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zahi Ahmed scored the decisive goal, but goalkeeper Ofir Marciano was equally important. His collection of excellent saves ensured Hapoel traveled to the second leg with both a narrow advantage and growing belief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red Star Controls the Opening Exchanges<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Red Star made the brighter start, with Mirko Ivani\u0107 repeatedly finding space around the Hapoel penalty area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ivani\u0107 first tested Marciano with a shot from the edge of the box before firing wide after being supplied by Osman Bukari. His best opportunity arrived when he found himself unmarked at close range, only for Marciano to react superbly and parry his attempt away from the top-left corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bruno Duarte also threatened, seeing a strike deflected wide as Red Star continued to look the more likely side to score.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Football, however, can punish even a momentary loss of concentration\u2014and one costly mistake completely changed the contest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hapoel
Photo Courtesy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Zahi Ahmed Punishes a Costly Defensive Error<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hapoel\u2019s breakthrough was presented to them by Matheus, whose poorly executed pass towards Derrick Luckassen failed to reach its intended target.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ahmed read the situation perfectly. The forward intercepted the ball, kept his composure and calmly rolled it into the net to give Hapoel Be\u2019er Sheva a valuable 1-0 lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hosts nearly doubled their advantage moments later when Matan Baltaxa met a cross with a powerful header that crashed against the crossbar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red Star almost produced an immediate response from a corner. Still, Pedro Amador was perfectly positioned on the goal line to clear Luckassen\u2019s header and protect Hapoel\u2019s advantage before half-time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baltaxa\u2019s Red Card Changes the Match<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Red Star coach Dejan Stankovi\u0107 reacted decisively at the interval by making three substitutions. Although the changes did not immediately produce a goal, the Serbian champions soon received a major boost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Baltaxa collected a booking for holding an opponent before losing his discipline moments later. As Seol Young-woo broke down the right flank, Baltaxa brought him down and left referee Jes\u00fas Gil Manzano with little choice but to show a second yellow card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hapoel were reduced to ten men, handing Red Star a numerical advantage and plenty of time to find an equalizer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hapoel
Photo Courtesy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Marciano Leads Hapoel\u2019s Resistance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Red Star nearly capitalized around the hour mark when Muhammed Cham drove an effort towards the top-right corner. Marciano remained alert, stretching to palm the ball over the crossbar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite playing with an extra man, Red Star struggled to establish sustained attacking pressure. Hapoel defended with impressive organization and even appeared to score a second goal when Ahmed set up Eliel Peretz, who controlled the ball before producing an excellent volley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The celebrations were cut short after an offside was identified in the build-up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That decision kept the score at 1-0 and ensured a nervous finish for Hapoel\u2019s depleted defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Late VAR Drama\u2014but No Red Star Equalizer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The closing stages produced another major talking point when Luckassen was initially shown a red card following an off-the-ball incident involving an apparent stray elbow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After reviewing the incident through VAR, the referee downgraded the punishment to a yellow card. Red Star retained their one-player advantage but still could not find a way past Marciano and Hapoel\u2019s determined defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final whistle confirmed a famous 1-0 win\u2014and Hapoel\u2019s seventh clean sheet across their last eight European \u201chome\u201d matches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hapoel
Photo Courtesy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What the Result Means for the Second Leg<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The tie remains finely balanced. Hapoel will enter the return fixture with a valuable lead, but defending such a narrow advantage away from their adopted home environment will demand another disciplined performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red Star, meanwhile, will be frustrated by their failure to convert territorial control and several promising opportunities. They have now gone three matches without beating Israeli opposition, recording one draw and two defeats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Tanzanian football fans, the second leg promises exactly the kind of continental drama that makes UEFA Champions League qualification compelling: a historic underdog chasing a main-draw spot, a former European champion fighting for survival, and only one goal separating the teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Follow the UCL Action with Bangbet.com<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Football supporters in Tanzania can visit Bangbet<\/strong><\/a> to explore available UEFA Champions League markets, compare match odds and follow the latest qualifying action. Study team form, suspensions and starting line-ups before making your selections, especially in a closely contested second leg where one moment could decide the entire tie. Bet<\/a> responsibly, set a firm budget and never stake more than you can afford to lose. Betting is strictly for adults aged 18 and above.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Verdict<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hapoel Be\u2019er Sheva\u2019s victory was built on opportunism, resilience and an outstanding performance from Marciano. Ahmed punished Red Star\u2019s biggest defensive mistake, while Hapoel\u2019s back line refused to collapse after Baltaxa\u2019s dismissal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Red Star created enough chances to avoid defeat but lacked the finishing touch when it mattered most. They will remain confident of overturning the deficit, yet Hapoel have already demonstrated that they can absorb pressure and protect a lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 1-0, the contest is far from over\u2014but the dream of a maiden Champions League main-draw appearance is now very real for Hapoel Be\u2019er Sheva.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hapoel Be\u2019er Sheva moved one step closer to a historic UEFA Champions League main-draw appearance after securing a tense 1-0 first-leg victory over Red Star Belgrade in their third qualifying-round tie. Playing at their adopted European home in Szombathely, Hungary, the Israeli side survived sustained pressure, a second-half dismissal and several dangerous Red Star attempts […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":12101,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4558,4556,35,4547,30],"tags":[861,254,319,7034,311,7007,7035,7008,7000,109,7036],"class_list":["post-12097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-champions-league","category-football","category-football-news","category-sports","category-sports-betting-news","tag-african-football-fans","tag-bangbet-tanzania","tag-bangbet-com","tag-champions-league-qualification","tag-football-betting-tanzania","tag-hapoel-beer-sheva","tag-ofir-marciano","tag-red-star-belgrade","tag-ucl-qualifiers","tag-uefa-champions-league","tag-zahi-ahmed"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/tz\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/tz\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/tz\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/tz\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/tz\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12097"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/tz\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12102,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/tz\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12097\/revisions\/12102"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/tz\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/tz\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/tz\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bangbet.com\/tz\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}