From East to Vitor, from the Marakana to Marciano: Heroes of the Night in Belgrade

Hapoel Be'er Sheva will return to Israel this evening, Wednesday, following their tremendous achievement in Serbia: a 2:0 victory over Red Star Belgrade and a spot in the Champions League playoffs with a 3:0 aggregate score. The team praised everyone involved: coach Ran Kozuch and his staff, the management, and, of course, the players.

It started with Ofir Marciano, who has now kept three consecutive clean sheets (including the return leg against Vikingur in the previous round). The veteran goalkeeper seized the opportunity given to him by Ran Kozuch following the departure of Niv Eliasi. Despite the acquisition of Marko Wolf from Maccabi Petah Tikva, Marciano did not give him a chance to take his place between the posts. Yesterday, in one of the best performances of his career—featuring great footwork, confident exits, and several key saves—he ensured that Hapoel Be'er Sheva was never in distress during the match.

The story surrounding Miguel Vitor is truly remarkable. In the middle of last season, he considered leaving Hapoel Be'er Sheva to return to Portugal. The topic remained on the agenda this summer, and after financial negotiations failed to reach a satisfactory conclusion, he was already thinking about leaving. Ultimately, the veteran defender signed for his 11th season with the club and yesterday, despite his advanced age, displayed ability that rivaled his peak days in the legendary Barak Bakhar-led Hapoel Be'er Sheva squad.

Vitor, who has always known how to elevate the defenders around him, made Itay Rotman look excellent yesterday. The performance of the defender, who arrived from Hapoel Petah Tikva, was tremendous. Guy Mizrahi and Pablo Amador, in their first start, completed a strong and confident back four that never looked like it would concede a goal.

In the midfield, Lucas Ventura shone. Following the first match against Red Star Belgrade, he became a major talking point in Serbia, and after yesterday's performance, his stock is at an all-time high. Next to him, Eliel Peretz played one of his best games for the club. Peretz was all over the pitch, a far cry from the games where he was relegated to the bench by the coach. The wonderful midfielder provided an outstanding assist to Javon East, undoubtedly the standout player for Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the match. The attacking player, who arrived in the middle of last season, did everything excellently: defensive duties, offensive plays, a wonderful assist to Igor Zlatanovic, and a fantastic goal.

"Javon is a football star. People don't know what a smart and team-oriented player he is," Hapoel Be'er Sheva players praised him yesterday.

Undoubtedly, above all, it was a tremendous evening for Ran Kozuch. Every decision he made in preparing for the match, managing the game, and making substitutions was a masterstroke.