Minute 38: Hapoel Tel Aviv - Katowice 0:2

Conference League, third round: A dream start for Elyaniv Barda's Reds. Stav Turiel took the lead with a powerful strike from the edge of the box (5'). Roei Alkukin doubled the advantage with a beautiful finish (18').

ONE Desk | 21:00

Omri Altman with the ball (courtesy of the club)

Conference League - Qualifiers - Round 3

Thursday, 06/08/2026, 21:00

Hapoel Tel Aviv - Katowice

Stav Turiel (5), Roei Alkukin (18)

Score: 2:0

Referee: Bastian Despi

Hapoel Tel Aviv is "hosting" Polish side Katowice in Hungary at this hour for a particularly intriguing match. The Reds arrive at the encounter after defeating the strong Ludogorets 4:2 on aggregate in the previous round, with tremendous support from the crowd painting the stands red.

Elyaniv Barda's squad started the season excellently, including a penalty shootout victory over Beitar Jerusalem in the Toto Cup quarterfinals. The Reds know that advancing to the next stage will pit them against Italian side Atalanta, but before that, they want to get the job done on their "home" pitch ahead of next week's return leg.

On the other hand, Polish side Katowice arrives after defeating Slovakian side Zilina 4:3 on aggregate in the previous round. The Poles lost 2:1 in the first leg but turned the result around with a 3:1 home victory to reach this stage. From their perspective, any result other than a loss today will be positive ahead of the return leg.

Historically, Hapoel's meetings with Polish teams leave a bittersweet memory. In the Europa League group stage of the 2011/12 season, they met Legia Warsaw twice: in Israel, the Reds won 0:2, while in Poland, the match ended in a 3:2 victory for the hosts.

First half

Minute 18: Goal! Hapoel Tel Aviv leads 0:2. Roei Alkukin repaid the trust placed in him in a big way. Pressure from Emmanuel Boateng on the Polish defense led to a turnover that went straight to Alkukin's feet. The young talent chipped over the goalkeeper from about 20 meters out and doubled the Red lead.

Minute 5: Goal! Hapoel Tel Aviv leads 0:1. A great start for the Reds! Omri Altman broke down the left flank to the edge of the box and managed to send a cross toward the 16-meter line. Stav Turiel arrived first and sent a powerful, sharp shot into the bottom right corner for an early lead.