Dominant AZ reward themselves late to leave Hapoel Be'er Sheva winless

Though AZ dominated possession in the first 20 minutes, they had little to show for it against an opponent intent on spoiling the game and slowing things down whenever possible. Ultimately, Wouter Goes’ early missed header was about as good as it got, while the visitors offered nothing as an attacking force, albeit sitting comfortably as they allowed their opponents to circulate the ball.

Valdemar Byskov was unlucky with a free-kick just after the half-hour mark, as Hapoel goalkeeper Ofir Marciano got down low to parry it out for a corner, and the custodian was in the right place again when Byskov hit a sweet left-footed shot on target later in the half. Muhammad Abu Rumi attempted four tackles for the visitors before half-time, more than anyone else on the pitch despite playing in attack, illustrating Hapoel’s attempts to stem AZ’s increased offensive threat.

AZ remained on top after the restart, and the deadlock was finally broken just five minutes into the second half, with Byskov setting up Peer Koopmeiners to drill a right-footed shot into the bottom corner.

However, against the run of play, and with their first effort either on or off target, Be’er Sheva levelled proceedings shortly after with Amankwah Forson’s strike. Zahi Ahmed teed him up, and Forson’s close-range left-footed shot deceived Jari De Busser. 

That equaliser gave the away team extra belief, with Javon East having a second Hapoel shot on target within a minute of coming on.

Nevertheless, with under a quarter-hour left, Djibril Thialaw Diop conceded a penalty, giving AZ a huge chance to restore their advantage. From 12 yards, Mexx Meerdink, subbed on just after the spot-kick was awarded, smashed it high into the net.

Forson missed a chance to grab his second equaliser late on, meaning the Dutch side picked up a win for which they were good value. As a result, they remain unbeaten at home in 18 matches in all competitions (W13, D5), moving up to 18th in the UEL table with this win.

Meanwhile, Hapoel still have just two victories from their last 14 European away games (D7, L5), and already look up against it to progress to the knockout stages of this competition.

Flashscore Man of the Match: Valdemar Byskov (AZ)

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