ByJOSHUA HALICKMAN

Beitar Jerusalem captured the Toto Cup late Tuesday night at Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa by defeating Hapoel Tel Aviv 2-1 in the final to take home the hardware.
 
The yellow-and-black dominated the Reds from the get-go, with pressure from the outset of the contest and aggressive play throughout the 90 minutes. Dor Micha scored in the first half, while Johnbosco Kalu found the back of the net in the second. Stav Turiel’s consolation marker broke up Miguel Silva’s clean sheet, but that didn’t matter to the Beitar faithful as they celebrated well into the evening when their heroes lifted the cup.
 
Prior to the game, there had been concern that the off-field action that took place at the Tel Aviv derby would repeat itself, and the match would be abandoned, but that was not to be the case on this night.
 
Aside from flares lit by both sets of supporters and arrests of about a dozen people for minor transgressions and suspicion, no major issues were reported as the local Haifa police ensured a safe sporting event.
 
As the smoke cleared right after kickoff, both sides had quality chances early on as Beitar’s keeper Miguel Silva made a sharp diving save off of Loizos Louza’s chance, while Asaf Tzur caught a Yarin Levy ball inside the box to keep the score goalless.

Beitar Jerusalem players celebrate on the pitch at Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa following their 2-1 victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Toto Cup final, the yellow-and-black’s first title since the 2019/20 campaign.
Beitar Jerusalem players celebrate on the pitch at Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa following their 2-1 victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Toto Cup final, the yellow-and-black’s first title since the 2019/20 campaign. (credit: YEHUDA HALICKMAN)


Omer Atzili’s free kick just went over the bar in the 24th minute after Ziv Morgan had tripped him up, earning the defender a yellow card, while at the other end, Louza’s scissors attempt went off of Luka Gadrani to keep the score knotted at 0-0.


However, the next Beitar attack ended with Dor Micha pounding the ball into the back of the goal. The midfielder received a beauty of a tap pass from Yarden Shua in the box after Tzur had parried an Atzili attempt off the right flank to give the yellow-and-black a 1-0 lead in the 34th minute.


An active Atzili tried to double the advantage, but his shot off the grass just stopped by the right post, and then he just grazed the left post off a Shua cross into the box as Beitar went into the break holding a 1-0 lead.


Hapoel
made a triple substitution to begin the second half, but Beitar continued to press for a second goal. However, it was the Reds who had a brilliant chance when Xander Silva and Stav Turiel teamed up inside the box, but the yellow-and-black were able to clear the ball to safety.


Just after Hapoel couldn’t take advantage of its opportunity, Beitar punished it as Micha sent a tremendous through-ball to Kalu, who was racing down the right wing and slotted the ball into the far left corner of the goal for a 2-0 lead in the 62nd minute.


The Reds tried to push to cut the advantage, but Turiel’s attempt went way over the goal, while Ran Binyamin’s attempt also cleared the bar. However, they finally broke through when Turiel beat Silva deep in second-half injury time, but it was too little, too late as Beitar hoisted the cup high into the air in victory after capturing the title for the first time since the 2019/20 season.

Title was 'even sweeter'

“This is my first trophy as a coach, and I had a chance a year ago, but we didn’t win,” Beitar bench boss Barak Itzhaki began.
 
“From the first moment, I saw our quality and our intensity. It feels great and it’s a blast. The guys were playing great in this game. It just started off well, and we took advantage of Hapoel’s weaknesses, which we couldn’t do in our last game against them in the league. Every title is incredible, and our opponent was also up to the challenge, so it made this title even sweeter.”
 
Hapoel Tel Aviv head coach Elyaniv Barda lamented his side coming up short in the final.
 
“We didn’t have a great first half, and we weren’t aggressive enough,” he said. “Beitar was much more aggressive, and that can’t happen in a final. We had chances in the second half, but we gave up a weak goal, which we can’t do.

It’s too bad to lose in a final with such a huge crowd. But we also have to remember that Hapoel Tel Aviv hasn’t been in these types of events in a long time, and if we are for the long run, then the titles will come.”
 
Beitar captain Yarden Shua also spoke about the title. “I’ve said it so many times, it’s amazing to win a trophy with Beitar Jerusalem, and for the fans, there’s nothing like it. We felt the excitement for this game, and there was nothing better than this. It’s a great moment.”

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