Eliran Atar doesn't stop scoring
(Photo: Aloni Mor)

The second leg between Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv and Paços de Ferreira, in Europa League's third qualification round, opened tonight (Thursday) at 11:00 p.m. in the Afonso Henriques stadium in the city Guimaras, Portgual.

At the end of the match Bnei-Yehuda won 1:0 (2:0 aggregate), and thus qualified for the playoffs round of the competition. Bnei-Yehuda records a perfect and unprecedented balance of six wins out of six matches, without being scored once. Furthermore, Bnei-Yehuda is the only team to open in the competition's first qualification round and qualifying for the playoffs.

Bnei-Yehuda arrived at the match tonight with a 1:0 lead from the first match. The team missed Oz Rali (yellow cards), who was replaced in the lineup by Itzik Azuz. The defender Din Mori, who was injured in his hand the previous match, will play with a special splint to guard his hand.

Bnei-Yehuda opened with this lineup: Dele Aiyenugba, Itzik Azuz, Din Mori, Ivan Garido, Kfir Edri, Liroy Tzairi, Maharan Radi, Hasan Abu-Zaid, Pedro Galvan, Asi Baldut, Eliran Atar.

The match opened with an immediate attack by Bnei-Yehuda, and Asi Baldut was close to score, but missed.

In the 27th minute Eliran Atar received a yellow card due to an argument with an opponent. As a result, Atar will miss the next match of the team in the competition. Four minutes later (31), Atar gave Bnei-Yehuda the lead, 1:0, and with that score the first half ended.

In the 64th minute Din Mori received a yellow card. In the 67th minute Omri Afek replaced Pedro Galvan. In the 74th minute Sinise Linic replaced Liroy Tzairi. Hasan Abu-Zaid received a yellow card in the 80 minute, and he will also miss the next match.

A few minute before the end of the match Eliran Atar was close to score again, when he arrived into a one-on-one situation with the goalkeeper, but failed to take advantage of the opportunity.

Four minutes into the extra time the final whistle was blown, 1:0 for Bnei-Yehuda tonight, 2:0 aggregate, and the Goldens are up to the playoffs round.

The playoffs will take place August 20th and 27th, and the match draw will be held tomorrow. 76 teams will participate in this round, which is the first round to which losers from the Champions League join (15 teams).

Guy Luzon is leading the Goldens to the playoffs
(Photo: Shabi Mizrahi)

The playoffs round format is identical to that of the early rounds: A draw between seeded an unseeded teams and two matches in a home-away method. Bnei-Yehuda is not seeded for the playoffs round. Hapoel Tel-Aviv, who beat IFK Göteborg and qualified too, is seeded. Maccabi Natanya was defeated by Galatasaray and was dismissed from the competition.

The playoffs round is the last round before the group stage, in which 48 teams are divided into 12 groups of four teams each. Every group plays two rounds.

Bnei-Yehuda's coach, Guy Luzon, told the official website after the match: "I am happy we've won, one of Bnei-Yehuda's greatest victories ever. We will do everything to reach the group stage."

Bnei-Yehuda's captain, Asi Baludt, told the website: "It was a tough match, we did what we needed, which was to win. All the respect to the players and the crew, everyone gave a hundered percent. We will wait for the draw tomorrow. I want to thank the fans that came here, it was very moving to see them, how they made the long way here, and we hope to see more in the next matches."

This Saturday Bnei-Yehuda was supposed to play in Tedi Stadium against Beitar Jerusalem, in the second circle of the Toto Cup, but the match was postponed, and the team's next match will be in the third circle, the Saturday after that (August 15th), against Maccabi Natanya at Bloomfield Stadium.

The team will land in Israel tomorrow, on the night between Friday and Saturday, at 12:10 a.m. The team's defender, Din Mori, will not return home but will continue to Northern Ireland, where the Israeli national team awaits his arrival.

At the next stage of Europa League many seeded teams of international scale and plenty of European experience will await Bnei-Yehuda, and between them the current holder of UEFA Cup/Europa League - Shakhtar Donetsk.

Tomorrow morning, a few hours before the draw, UEFA will divide the teams into divison groups, and the matches will be drawn from within the groups only (A team from one group cannot play against a team from another). The division is made for the purposes of the draw only.

Baldut against Paços. "We will do everything"
(Photo: Aloni Mor)

Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv's players made a tour of the Braga city in Portugal today (Wednesday). The players received an hour and a half free time to walk around the city, and at this hour the team is preparing to leave the hotel for the summarizing practice for the match tomorrow against Paços de Ferreira, in Europa League's third qualification round (11:00 p.m. Israeli time).

The practice will take place in Guimaras, at the Afonso Henriques stadium, where the Goldens will compete tomorrow against the Portuguese team.

Bnei-Yehuda's captain, Asi Baldut, told the official website this evening: "A tough game is awaiting us. We've seen in the first match that they are a strong team. We will come to do everything in order to qualify for the next round, and I believe that if we come ready and focused everything will be alright."

The team's coach, Guy Luzon, told the website: "We are aware of the magnitude of the importance of the match, we will do the maximum on our side to win this match and qualify for the playoffs."

Please note: the match will not be broadcast.

Pedro Galvan against Paços de Ferreira in the first match
(Photo: Aloni Mor)

Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv will arrive tomorrow (Tuesday) at 06:30 a.m. to Ben-Gurion Airport, for the team's flight to Portugal, for the second leg against Paços de Ferreira in Europa League's third qualification round.

In the first match, which took place in Bloomfield Stadium last Tuesday, Bnei-Yehuda beat the Portuguese 1:0 from an Eliran Atar goal.

The match against Paços will be held this Thursday, August 6th, at the Afonso Henriques stadium in Guimaras of Portugal. The match starts 09:00 p.m. local time (11:00 p.m. Israeli time).

The match will be managed by a Macedonian foursome. Main referee Aleksandar Stavrev, assistants Ljubomir Krstevski and Marjan Kirovski, fourth official Dimitar Meckarovski.

Defender Oz Rali will miss the match, due to yellow card accumulation.

The day after the match, Friday, the draw for the playoffs round will be held. The playoffs round is the last one before the group stage.

A small number of fans will join the team in it's flight to Portugal, some of them in the team's own flight, others in other flights leaving for Portugal starting tonight.

Moshe Biton
(Photo: Aloni Mor)

Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv and Hapoel Tel-Aviv separated this evening (Sunday) with a 1:1 tie, at the opening match of this season's Toto Cup. The match took place at Bloomfield Stadium, with 1500 fans.

Both teams, who have already begun the season in Europa League (Bnei-Yehuda started at the 1st round, Hapoel in the 3rd), displayed an equal match, with starting players of both teams receiving a rest and not participating in the match.

The only good opportunity in the first half was recorded from the Bnei-Yehuda side, when Moshe Biton took control of an excellent through ball that left him alone against Hapoel's goalkeeper, Nil Abarbanel. Biton moved towards the goal but shot from a short range outside.

Biton was close to score again three minutes after the beginning of the second half, when he broke into the penalty area alone in front of the keeper, but shot a weak ball outside of the direction of the goal, and Abarbanel easily grabbed it.

In the 54th minute Biton no longer missed, as Oz Rali raised a good ball into the penalty area, and Biton jumped and headed the ball into the net, 1:0 for Bnei-Yehuda.

Five minutes later Hapoel Tel-Aviv scored the equalizing goal: Eran Zehavi passed the ball with a header to Maharan Lala, who sent the ball in from a short range, 1:1.

Both teams continued to try and score until the end of the match, with Bnei-Yehuda's youth team player, Amir Agayev, who joined the match in the second half, displaying an excellent performance in the left side of the pitch.

1:1 tie at the end of the match.

Bnei-Yehuda's lineup: Ran Kadosh, Itzik Azuz, Aviv Hadad, Nitzan Aharonovich, Oz Rali, Omri Afek (Amir Agayev, 61), George Amesis (Asaf Giladi, 72), Tal Mishaan, Sinise Linich (Raz Shachar, 46), Michamada Hatari, Moshe Biton.

Join the team's flight to Portugal
(Photo: Shabi Mizrahi)

Next Thursday, August 6th, Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv will visit the Afonso Henriques stadium in Guimaras of Portugal, for the second leg against Paços de Ferreira (1:0 for the Goldens in the first match yesterday).

The match will begin 11:00 p.m. Israeli time (09:00 p.m. local time).

Bnei-Yehuda will leave for Portugal on Tuesday, August 4th, and return Friday night. The team flies to Portgual with "Baron Tours" touring agency, and a special deal is provided for fans of the team who wish to join the team's flight.

There are 18 available seats for the flight with the team, which will leave Tuesday at 09:00 a.m. and return on Friday (landing at 08:00-09:00 p.m. approximately). The flight home will not be with the team, which will land in Israel at 12:10 a.m. The flights were split due to seating constraints.

The flight to Portugal will land in the city Porto, from which the passangers will be transfered to Guimaras (25 minutes from Porto), where the match will take place. Guimaras is a city with a population of 160,000 people and is considered second place in Portugal in matters of quality of life.

The fans will lodge in a four star hotel in the city of the center (Checked by the club management). The hotel is located one kilometer away from the stadium and lodging includes breakfast.

The deal also includes transfer from the airport to the hotel and back again, and a ticket for the match.

The deal costs 1180 dollars per fan. Due to the fact that we are in the touring season, flight prices are high. The proposed deal is reduced in a few hundred dollars.

Fans who wish to join: Please contact Dorit, "Baron Tours" agency, telephone number +972747878134, and mention that you are fans of the team wishing to join the team's deal for Portugal.