Maccabi Tel Aviv Claim Narrow Europa League Victory Over Sheriff Tiraspol Thanks to Own Goal

UEFA Europa League · 2nd Qualifying Round

Maccabi Tel Aviv

1 – 0
FULL-TIME

Sheriff Tiraspol

Thursday 30 July 2026 · 18:00 · Batumi Arena, Batumi

Introduction

Maccabi Tel Aviv secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Sheriff Tiraspol in the UEFA Europa League, with an own goal proving to be the decisive moment in a tightly contested encounter. The result hands the Israeli side a valuable three points, while Sheriff Tiraspol are left to reflect on a frustrating afternoon in which they failed to register a single shot on target throughout the ninety minutes.

How the Game Unfolded

The only goal of the match arrived on 29 minutes and came in fortuitous circumstances for the home side. Sheriff Tiraspol’s S. Kone turned the ball into his own net, handing Maccabi Tel Aviv an advantage they would go on to protect for the remainder of the contest. It was a moment of misfortune that ultimately defined the outcome of the game.

Sheriff Tiraspol began to make changes in search of a response after the interval, introducing Mota for Sapata in the 57th minute, while S. Kone — the unfortunate architect of the opening goal — was also withdrawn two minutes later, replaced by V. Nihaev. Maccabi Tel Aviv responded with their own tactical adjustments on the hour mark, bringing on S. Jehezkel for O. Davida and I. Shahar for I. Ben Simon simultaneously in the 63rd minute, looking to consolidate their lead and retain control of the game.

Sheriff Tiraspol’s afternoon grew more difficult in the 71st minute when substitute V. Nihaev was booked for tripping, barely twelve minutes after coming on. The Moldovan side threw further resources at the problem on 77 minutes, making a triple substitution as D. Forov, A. Pergjoni, and L. Jaures-Ulrich all entered the fray. Maccabi Tel Aviv responded with further changes of their own at the same stage, introducing N. Ben Harush and H. Varela to help see the game out.

Despite the flurry of late activity from Sheriff, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s defensive organisation held firm. Deep into stoppage time, Sheriff’s B. Ciss was cautioned for tripping in the third minute of added time — a final act of frustration that summed up the visitors’ inability to fashion anything meaningful as an attacking threat. The final whistle confirmed a composed and resolute home victory.

The Numbers

The statistics paint a picture of a match in which Maccabi Tel Aviv carried the greater threat, despite the even split in ball possession — both sides finishing on 50% each. Maccabi registered three shots on target compared to Sheriff’s none, a telling difference that underlines why the Israeli side deserved the three points. The hosts also had five shots off target to Sheriff’s four, and blocked three attempts compared to Sheriff’s two, suggesting Maccabi were more active and dangerous in the final third throughout the contest.

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s 12 corner kicks to Sheriff’s seven further emphasises the home side’s dominance in terms of pressure and territory, with the hosts repeatedly threatening from wide areas. In terms of discipline, Maccabi ended the game with a clean disciplinary record — zero yellow cards and zero red cards — while Sheriff Tiraspol accumulated two yellow cards, both for tripping. Sheriff also committed more fouls across the 90 minutes, registering 11 compared to Maccabi’s nine, reflecting a degree of physical desperation as they chased an equaliser. Both sides were flagged for offsides, with Maccabi penalised four times and Sheriff twice.

Conclusion

Maccabi Tel Aviv will be satisfied with a disciplined and effective Europa League performance that yielded all three points, even if the manner of the decisive goal owed something to good fortune. Sheriff Tiraspol, by contrast, will be deeply concerned by their inability to register a single shot on target — a statistic that will demand attention ahead of their next fixture. On this evidence, the gap in attacking threat between the two sides was stark, and the result was a fair reflection of what unfolded over 90 minutes.

» Read our pre-match preview

» See what we predicted

Written by Elison

Writes match previews, predictions, and post-match analysis for MatchdayValue, covering the top five European leagues and Europe's continental competitions.