Hapoel Be'er Sheva's hopes of taking a foothold in their bid for a first-ever Champions League campaign proper were still alive but unresolved deep into the first half in Reykjavik on Tuesday, with Israel's champions locked at 0-0 against Víkingur Reykjavík 44 minutes into their Champions League second qualifying-round opener, ONE reported from the Icelandic capital.
It is the first competitive meeting between the two clubs. Víkingur are hosting the first leg on their compact, artificial-turf ground at Víkingsvöllur; the return fixture follows next week at Turner Stadium in Be'er Sheva. The aggregate winner advances to the third qualifying round, one tie away from the Champions League's league phase, while the loser is dropped into Europa League qualifying.
Hapoel arrive in Iceland as Israel's freshly restored champions, having ended an eight-year wait for the title in May under coach Ran Kozuk. Their build-up to Europe, however, was jolted by a defeat in the traditional season-opening Super Cup meeting against Maccabi Tel Aviv, who won that fixture 3-1, according to Ynet and Sport1. "Disappointing — I expected a lot more," Kozuk said afterwards, per Ynet.
That match also cost Hapoel their marquee summer arrival. João Victor, the Brazilian defender signed for a reported €1.7 million, went down with what the club fears is a significant hamstring tear after coming on as a stoppage-time substitute. ONE reports he is expected to be sidelined for roughly one to one-and-a-half months. "It doesn't look promising, but we'll wait for the tests and hope for the best," Kozuk said, according to Sport1-Maariv.
Víkingur are no pushovers at home. Iceland's reigning champions needed two legs to see off Hungary's Győr, winning 3-2 on aggregate in the first qualifying round, and they have lost just once in their last eight matches on home soil across all competitions. Their squad includes the well-travelled Gylfi Sigurðsson, formerly of Tottenham and Everton, alongside forward Nikolai Hansen.
Neither side had broken through by the midpoint of the first half, leaving the tie finely poised heading into the second period in Reykjavík — and, whatever the final score in Iceland, into next week's second leg in the Negev.
