Hapoel Be'er Sheva have kicked off their season in a bad way.
After falling to a 6-1 defeat against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Toto Cup, they managed to recover by qualifying for the third qualifying round of the Europa Conference League.
Their wins against Panevezys were not impressive, but for Hapoel Be'er Sheva, it was an important step.
🎥 We are LIVE from 🏟 Turner Stadium with @yossport1 and @EdenRoit. A preview for the #UECL third qualifying round between 🇮🇱 Hapoel Be'er Sheva and 🇧🇬 Levski Sofia pic.twitter.com/sjffo7F9F9
— BabaGol (@BabaGol_) August 10, 2023
As they tried to return to form, Hapoel Be'er Sheva had to face their next European challenge, Levski Sofia.
The former eternal champions of Bulgaria were one step away from bankruptcy in 2020, until former player Nasko Sirakov bought the club.
While they are trying to get back to the top of the Bulgarian league, progressing well in the Conference League might be considered a solid step.
With this pressure on both sides, none of them have managed to make a real challenge in their matchup.
Levski Sofia needs a saviour, Nasko Sirakov wants to be this guy. https://t.co/jOt7cyRwtj
— BabaGol (@BabaGol_) June 7, 2020
Both Hapoel Be'er Sheva and Levski Sofia had some shots on target, but it seemed that each team had bigger problems than scoring a goal.
For Hapoel Be'er Sheva, the pressure from the fans was enormous.
Unlike other important matches at Turner Stadium, only 9,000 fans came this time. While some tried to push the team on, the general disappointment became louder.
"I don't really know what the response is on social media, but I am aware of the situation," said Elyaniv Barda, the team’s coach, after the match.
"We are starting to get better, and I promise that we will give back to our supporters with high-level performances in the future."
On the other side, Levski Sofia lacked the quality to take advantage.
In the dying minutes of the game, Levski came close, when José Córdoba’s powerful shot hit the crossbar.
"I believe that we can do it at home," said Levski manager Nikolay Kostov, "we saw that we were a bit better than Hapoel Be'er Sheva, and I think that we can win and qualify."
After this 0-0 draw, Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Levski Sofia will look ahead to the second leg next week in Stadion Georgi Asparuhov.
The play-off draw wasn't good for either side, as the winning team will face Eintracht Frankfurt in the next round.
The teams know their chances of an upset against the Germans are low, but they still want to qualify.
And, unfortunately, for one side the end of the road will come next Thursday.
Edited by Alex Smith
Thumbnail photo by Hapoel Be’er Sheva FC
