Hapoel Beersheba, seconds from reaching UEFA Champions League, loses to Sabah in extra time

Azeri home team overcomes first-leg loss to draw even, forcing extra time, and then vanquishes Israeli club for aggregate score of 6-4; no Israeli team has qualified since 2022

By AP and ToI Staff 26 August 2026, 12:57 am

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Sabah's Tellur Mutallimov (at rear, center) shoots home in the final seconds of stoppage time to force extra time in his team's home match against Hapoel Beersheba, on August 25, 2026. The Azerbaijani team eventually won the game by 5-2, for an aggregate 6-4 win, qualifiying at Hapoel's expense for the European Champions League. (Israel Sports Channel 5 screenshot)

The Hapoel Beersheba soccer team came within 19 seconds on Tuesday of a historic qualification for the UEFA Champions League.

However, the Israeli team saw its fortunes reversed at the very end of a two-match contest, losing 5-2 to Azerbaijan’s Sabah team on the latter’s home turf in Baku for an overall 6-4 defeat.

The match-up was the second round of a qualifying playoff, following a first leg last Wednesday, which Hapoel won 2-1.

Sabah was just seconds from elimination against the Israelis, with the night’s score at 2-2 and the aggregate score at 4-3 in Hapoel’s favor, when Sabah’s Tellur Mutallimov scored in the last minute of stoppage time.

That brought the night’s score to 3-2 in Sabah’s favor, leveling the aggregate score from both matches at 4-4, and forcing 30 minutes of extra time.

Sabah’s Gabon striker Orphe Mbina then scored with a header in the 101st minute, and Joy-Lance Mickels added another goal in the 115th to make it 5-2 in the second leg and 6-4 on aggregate.

Hapoel Beersheba finished the match down two players after its defender Djibril Diop and midfielder Eliel Peretz both were shown second yellow cards during extra time.

No Israeli team has played in the main Champions League since November 2022, when Maccabi Haifa finished last in a group with Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus.

Tuesday was the third time Hapoel Beersheba has failed to qualify at the last minute, having also gotten within striking distance in 2016 and 2017.

Sabah will join Italy’s Como as Champions League newcomers in the 36-team main phase draw Thursday.

Seven qualifying playoff matchups were being decided on Tuesday and Wednesday to finalize the lineup for games starting in two weeks’ time.

Bodø/Glimt and Celtic each held clear leads going into their second-leg games later Tuesday. Glimt leads 3-1 hosting NEC Nijmegen and Celtic takes a 3-0 lead to face LASK.

UEFA will make the draw in Monaco to give each team eight opponents playing from September 8 through January 27.