Israeli soccer clubs advance in Europe

Two Israeli soccer clubs progressed in UEFA qualifying competitions this week. Hapoel Tel Aviv secured passage to the UEFA Conference League playoff round, while Hapoel Be'er Sheva advanced toward the Champions League group stage with two matches remaining.

Hapoel Tel Aviv won 3-2 on aggregate against Poland's GKS Katowice, progressing despite losing the return leg 2-1 on Wednesday. Stav Turiel scored in the 23rd minute in that match. The club will now face Italy's Atalanta in the Conference League playoff round.

Hapoel Be'er Sheva defeated Red Star Belgrade 2-0 in Serbia on Tuesday, completing a 3-0 aggregate victory. Igor Zlatanovic and Javon East both scored in the second half. The Israeli champions will next play Azerbaijan's Sabah in the final Champions League qualifying round.

The matches were marked by separate anti-Israel incidents. The Israel Football Association announced it would file a UEFA complaint after Iranian-Canadian businessman Alex Haditaghi posted an anti-Israel message before the Hapoel Tel Aviv match. Also, video footage from Belgrade appeared to show Red Star fans throwing plastic bottles at a Hapoel Be'er Sheva representative carrying an Israeli flag.