Mixed fortunes for Israeli Europa League trio
Maccabi Tel Aviv earn first leg win, as Beitar Jerusalem and Bnei Yehuda held to draws.
Andrew Sherwood is the Jewish News Sport and Community Editor
Maccabi Tel Aviv are one step closer to the third qualifying round of next season’s Europa League after they recorded an ultimately comfortable 3-1 home win against KR Reykjavik.
The Icelandic side shocked the home supporters when Pálmi Rafn Pálmason opened the scoring in the 58th minute. However, strikes from Aaron Schoenfeld, Vidar Kjartansson and Omer Atzily ensured the side will travel to Iceland next week, confident of going through.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdYbhrPss4E
Maccabi coach Jordi Cruyff was unhappy with the team’s performance, saying: “I don’t think the performance was good and I’m also not 100 percent happy with the result. We conceded an unnecessary goal, were sloppy in the game and lost a lot of balls.
“We want to see a better performance, but we all understand that we are also going through a renovation in the squad.”
Elsewhere, Beitar Jerusalem will travel to Bulgaria on level terms after they drew 1-1 against Botev Plovdiv. Tal Kahila’s 11th minute header got them off to the perfect start, but a mixture of missed chances and Serkan Yusein’s 73rd minute equaliser means they face a tricky second leg.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErI9usxUSTU
Coach Sharon Mimer. said: “This is very disappointing. This isn’t the result we expected to register. We reached so many chances but we couldn’t convert them. I’m sure that if we reach the same amount of chances in the second leg we will win.”
The third Israeli side in action saw Bnei Yehuda come away from Slovakian side Trencin with a credible 1-1 draw. Nerijus Valskis had given the Israelis a third minute lead, with Jakob Paur levelling for the hosts on the hour mark.
The draw for the third qualifying round was made later on Friday. Maccabi will face Greek side Panionios or Slovenian side Gorica should they progress, with the first leg in Tel Aviv, Beitar will take on Portuguese side Marítimo, with the first leg in Israel, while Bnei Yehuda face a tough task in Zenit Saint Petersberg, with the first leg in Russia.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
