Hapoel Beersheba's return to the Champions League got off to a painful start on Tuesday night, as the Israeli champions went down 2-1 away to Vikingur Reykjavik in the first leg of their second qualifying round tie in Iceland.
Nikolaj Hansen struck twice for the Icelandic champions, either side of a second-half leveller from Kings Kangwa, to hand Vikingur the advantage heading into next week's return fixture, which Sport5 reports will be played in Hungary rather than at Beersheba's usual home ground.
Kangwa pulled Beersheba level shortly after the interval, continuing the sharp scoring form that has made him the club's talisman over the past two seasons. It was not enough, though, as Hansen's second goal, deep in the second half, restored Vikingur's lead and ultimately won them the first leg.
According to Sport5, Kangwa posted a short message after the final whistle pledging that Beersheba would give everything in the second leg, telling supporters the team would fight to turn the tie around next week.
Head coach Ran Kozuk was quoted by the outlet acknowledging the difficulty of facing what he called a well-drilled, quality Vikingur side playing in their 15th season in this format, but stressed the equation was now simple: Beersheba must win next week to advance.
The defeat is a setback for a Beersheba side that enters the new season on the back of a Israeli Premier League title, but the tie is far from over — away goals and a full 90 minutes remain to close the gap.
Kangwa's evening continues a turbulent summer for the 26-year-old, whose future has been the subject of persistent transfer speculation, including reported interest from AEK Athens. For now, though, his focus and his goals remain firmly with Beersheba's European campaign.
