Hapoel Tel Aviv marked their return to European football after a 12-year absence in the best possible way, beating Bulgarian champions Ludogorets Razgrad 2-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League second qualifying round tie.
The match was not played anywhere near Bloomfield Stadium. Hapoel staged their "home" leg at the DVTK Stadium in Miskolc, Hungary, in front of roughly 6,000 supporters, after opting to hold its European home fixtures abroad for security reasons rather than in Tel Aviv.
Omri Altman broke the deadlock just before half-time, heading in from a Stav Turiel delivery in the 45th minute to send Hapoel in front at the break.
Brazilian defender Chico put the tie to bed in the 89th minute, adding a second goal that turned a nervy one-goal lead into a far more comfortable cushion heading into the return fixture.
It capped an emotional night for a club that had not featured in continental competition since 2013-14, ending a 12-year wait that spanned relegations, promotions and multiple changes of ownership and management.
Ludogorets arrive as no ordinary opponent. The Razgrad club has been the dominant force in Bulgarian football for well over a decade and is a regular fixture in the group stages of Europe's second- and third-tier competitions, making Hapoel's win a genuine statement result rather than a routine qualifier.
The two sides meet again next week in Bulgaria for the second leg, with Hapoel Tel Aviv carrying a two-goal advantage into hostile territory in Razgrad.
A repeat of Thursday's defensive discipline, allied with the away goal it would need to fully close out the tie, would put Hapoel through to the third qualifying round and keep alive their best chance in over a decade of reaching a European group stage.
