Stav Elimelech does not do diplomacy when it comes to the club he served for nearly two decades. Appearing on ONE's "Sichat HaYom" programme, the Hapoel Beer Sheva legend said the team is now paying for a squad that was never built deep enough for a serious European run.

"I said we need to sign six to eight players," Elimelech said. "If Zlatanović was substituted and Miguel Vitor and the replacements weren't sufficient in focus and level, then I would bring players immediately in many positions to strengthen the squad."

The comments land two days after one of the most painful nights in the club's history. Beer Sheva arrived at the second leg of their Champions League playoff round tie against Sabah of Azerbaijan holding a 2-1 lead from the first leg, needing only to avoid defeat to reach the group stage for the first time ever.

Instead, Sabah leveled the aggregate score late, forced extra time, and then scored twice more to win the second leg 5-2 and the tie 6-4 on aggregate. Beer Sheva were reportedly within seconds of advancing before the collapse. The defeat drops them into the Europa League instead.

For Elimelech, the manner of the loss exposed a roster that lacked the depth to survive a knockout campaign at that level. His criticism centred on the bench options who were asked to step in once first-choice players, including captain Miguel Vitor, were stretched or substituted.

Head coach Ran Kuzhuk offered his own blunt assessment in the aftermath, telling Haaretz that "bottom line, we weren't worthy of the Champions League." Kuzhuk, who led Beer Sheva to their first championship since 2018 in May, signed a two-year contract extension at the club shortly after that title.

Despite the criticism, Elimelech was not writing off the campaign entirely. He described reaching the playoff round as a genuine achievement given the squad's limitations, and predicted Beer Sheva would return to the Champions League picture within a year or two.

Co-panelist Gai Chaimov pushed back on air, arguing the tactical plan for the tie had largely worked and that the outcome came down to fine margins rather than a flawed approach.

Beer Sheva now turn to the Europa League league phase, a consolation prize after coming within touching distance of a first-ever Champions League campaign.