Maccabi Tel Aviv will face Sheriff Tiraspol in the second qualifying round of the Europa League after the Moldovan club eliminated Aluminij 1–0 on aggregate. The first leg is scheduled for 23 July with the return on 30 July, giving Maccabi one week to move from the Super Cup celebration into a two-match European assignment.
The tie was already fixed in UEFA's draw as the winner of Sheriff–Aluminij against Maccabi. Thursday's second leg supplied the missing name. After a goalless opening match in Tiraspol, Sheriff won 1–0 in Slovenia through Jaurès-Ulrich Loukou's fifth-minute goal. That early advantage survived the remainder of the match and became the only goal across 180 minutes.
Sheriff's route says something useful about the contest Maccabi should expect. The Moldovan side did not need a high-scoring series to advance. They protected a narrow away lead after a first leg in which neither team scored, a profile that places a premium on patience, rest-defence and avoiding cheap transitions. Maccabi cannot assume territorial control will automatically produce a comfortable margin.
Maccabi enter the tie with competitive rhythm and a trophy. Their 3–1 Super Cup win over Hapoel Be'er Sheva showed the value of Sagiv Yehezkel's delivery and Saied Abu Farchi's penalty-area movement, even after Roy Revivo's dismissal reduced them to ten men. European qualifying will ask for the same threat with greater control, because one poorly managed phase can distort an entire two-leg contest.
The draw order places Sheriff at home in the first leg and Maccabi in the return. Final venue arrangements remain subject to the clubs' and UEFA's operational confirmation, so the useful certainty at this stage is the sequence and dates rather than an assumed stadium. Maccabi's immediate objective is to leave the first game with the tie structurally manageable.
Sheriff carry extensive qualifying experience and have previously reached major UEFA group and league phases. Historical reputation will not decide the tie, but it affects how the Moldovan club approach difficult minutes. A team accustomed to knockout qualifiers is less likely to panic when possession or territory moves against it. Maccabi will need to create chances without allowing frustration to loosen the spacing behind the ball.
The pairing now gives Zarko Lazetic's staff a precise scouting task. Sheriff's compactness, Loukou's early scoring impact and the low-event first-round pattern form the starting evidence. Maccabi have the more recent attacking statement, but the next round will be decided by how well that aggression survives across two matches rather than by the momentum of one domestic final.
