Maccabi Tel Aviv's European campaign is teetering after a chastening 2-1 defeat away to Lugano in the first leg of their Conference League play-off, a result that leaves Kenny Miller's side needing to overturn the tie in Batumi next week just to stay alive on the continent.
Lugano took the lead through Kevin Behrens in the 30th minute, and although Ido Shahar dragged Maccabi level within moments of the restart, Anto Grgic restored the hosts' advantage from the penalty spot in the 54th minute to seal a 2-1 win in front of 3,435 fans in Switzerland.
The return leg is set for 27 August in Batumi, Georgia — the venue Maccabi Tel Aviv have used for their own European 'home' fixtures this season — leaving the Israeli champions needing at least a two-goal swing to progress.
It is the latest blow in what has already been a bruising qualifying campaign. Maccabi were knocked out of Europa League qualifying by CSKA Sofia earlier this month, losing 0-3 in the first leg in Batumi before a spirited 3-1 win in Sofia proved not enough, going out 4-3 on aggregate.
On ONE's football podcast, hosts Raz Amir, Oren Kadosh and Avi Nmeni described a club making the same errors on repeat, pointing to recruitment calls in the transfer market, muddled roles behind the scenes, and individual defensive mistakes that have now cost Maccabi across two separate European ties this summer.
Manager Kenny Miller had struck a defiant tone after the CSKA Sofia exit, saying his side had produced 'a very high level' against the Bulgarians and would be 'in a very good place' if they reproduced it against Lugano. Despite Thursday's result, Sport1 reported that Miller said he left Lugano with 'very positive feelings' about his team's performance.
The podcast also touched on the transfer market, where Maccabi have been trying to add reinforcements before the European window shuts. Nmeni predicted that midfielder Gabi Kanikovsky, a former Maccabi player now at Ferencvaros, would complete a return to the club within a fortnight — a claim that lines up with separate reporting from Sport5 and Walla that the two sides are in negotiations, though no fee or personal terms have been finalised.
Domestically, Maccabi are also plotting for Sunday's Israeli Premier League fixture against Hapoel Jerusalem, with the podcast questioning whether Miller will rotate his lineup given the crowded schedule and the second leg against Lugano just three days later.
For now, Maccabi Tel Aviv's European fate hangs on a result in Georgia. A club that entered the summer with continental ambitions finds itself, as ONE's panel put it, making mistake upon mistake — and running short of competitions left in which to fix them.
