Beitar Jerusalem opened their European campaign with exactly the kind of result they needed: a disciplined, occasionally nervy 1-0 win away to AEK Larnaca in the first leg of their Conference League second qualifying round tie on Thursday night in Cyprus.
The only goal came in the 77th minute, and it came from an unlikely source. Centre-back Brayan Carabalí stepped up to a free kick just outside the box and curled it into the corner, wrong-footing the Larnaca goalkeeper for what several Israeli outlets described as a rare strike from the Colombian defender.
The set piece was a direct consequence of AEK Larnaca being reduced to ten men two minutes earlier. Dutch defender Mike van der Hoorn was sent off in the 75th minute for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, handing Beitar both the man advantage and the position from which Carabalí struck.
According to Sport1's match report, Beitar had already begun to take control of the game from around the half-hour mark, with Daniel Worku and Noam Mouche driving play in midfield before a round of substitutions after the hour — among them Timo Mozzi — added fresh legs to the visitors' attack.
Just as notable as the goal was the clean sheet. Beitar were without Luka Gadrani, Carabalí's regular partner at the back who has been central to what has been one of the sturdier defensive pairings in Israeli football, but held firm regardless against a Cypriot side that pushed for an equalizer once down to ten men.
The win was also a personal landmark. It was Almog Cohen's first victory since taking charge of Beitar Jerusalem, having moved from the club's sporting director role to the touchline in May after Barak Yitzhaki's departure as head coach — his managerial debut coming in Europe rather than the domestic league.
ONE reported that the trip to Cyprus was overshadowed by incidents of crowd violence involving fans before kickoff, with Beitar supporters targeted in the build-up to the match — a sour note around a tie that otherwise went the visitors' way on the pitch.
Beitar now carry their one-goal advantage into next week's second leg, which is scheduled to be played in Ploiești, Romania rather than Israel, continuing the arrangement under which Israeli clubs have staged their UEFA home fixtures at neutral venues abroad because of the security situation at home.
A place in the next qualifying round is now well within reach, though Cohen's side will know a narrow first-leg lead in a two-legged European tie is far from decisive, and they will need to manage the return fixture carefully against opponents who will throw everything at reversing the scoreline.
