Maccabi Tel Aviv opened their 2026-27 European campaign with real authority, hammering Sheriff Tiraspol 5-0 away in the first leg of the Europa League second qualifying round on Thursday night at the Sheriff Stadium in Tiraspol, Moldova.
The visitors were ahead inside five minutes through young striker Sayed Abu Farhi, and Dor Peretz doubled the lead in the 29th minute to send Kenny Miller's side in at the break with a commanding cushion.
Maccabi kept their foot down after the restart. Sagiv Yehezkel made it 3-0 in the 73rd minute, Abu Farhi completed his brace from the penalty spot a minute later, and Issouf Sissokho rounded off the scoring in the 78th to leave a five-goal aggregate lead to defend in the return leg.
"We were the better team tonight," Miller said afterwards, quoted by ONE. "We scored five goals and could have scored even more."
The Scottish manager pointed to the fast start as the platform for the rout. "We opened the match very well with an early goal, and we should have scored more in the first half," he said.
He did allow himself one note of caution amid the celebration. "The only downside was towards the end of the match, where we perhaps felt too comfortable," Miller said, wary of any late lapse even with the tie all but settled.
But he was unequivocal about the bigger picture. "This was a fantastic away performance in Europe, and you cannot be disappointed with a 5-0 victory," he said.
The result leaves Maccabi in near-total control ahead of the return leg on Thursday, July 30 — which, as with most "home" European fixtures for Israeli clubs at present, will be staged at a neutral venue in Batumi, Georgia rather than at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv.
Advancing on aggregate would send Maccabi into the Europa League's third qualifying round; only a dramatic reversal in Batumi would instead drop them into the Conference League path.
For Miller, the scoreline offers an early marker that his squad can carry momentum into Europe as the club builds toward the new Israeli Premier League season.
