Issouf Sissokho waited almost two years for his first Maccabi Tel Aviv goal, and when it finally arrived on Thursday night it came in the most emphatic circumstances possible — a 5-0 demolition of Sheriff Tiraspol in the first leg of their Europa League second qualifying round tie.

The Malian defensive midfielder, who signed from Bordeaux in August 2024, struck in the 78th minute in Tiraspol to put the finishing touch on a rout that leaves Maccabi in near-total control of the tie ahead of next week's return leg.

"I'm very happy with this goal," Sissokho said afterwards, according to Maccabi Tel Aviv's official site. "We need to keep working hard." The club's reported headline captured the moment succinctly: he was delighted with his opener and hopeful there will be more to come.

Sissokho's strike was the last of five on a night when Maccabi never let Sheriff settle. Sayed Abu Farchi opened the scoring inside five minutes and added a second from the penalty spot in the 74th, either side of goals from Dor Peretz in the 29th minute and Sagiv Yehezkel in the 53rd.

For Abu Farchi, who has quickly become one of the team's most reliable forwards, the brace continued a strong run of form, though ONE reports he was careful not to get carried away by the scoreline. He stressed that only half the tie has been played and that Maccabi still need to finish the job at home next week to confirm their progress to the next qualifying round.

The scale of the win away from home nonetheless hands Kenny Miller's side a commanding cushion. A four-goal aggregate advantage of this size is rarely squandered in continental qualifiers, but Israeli clubs have been stung by complacency in Europe before, which explains the measured tone from the dressing room despite the scoreline.

For Sissokho personally, the goal marks a breakthrough moment. Since arriving in Israel as a defensive-minded holding midfielder, he has been used primarily for his ball-winning and distribution rather than as a goal threat, making Thursday's contribution in Moldova his first for the club in yellow and blue.

Maccabi now turn their attention to the second leg, needing only to avoid an unlikely collapse to advance in Europe's second-tier club competition and continue building on last week's Israeli Super Cup success over Hapoel Be'er Sheva.