Maccabi Tel Aviv edge Sheriff Tiraspol thanks to an own goal
Reviewed by Elison · Thu 30 Jul 2026UEFA Europa League · 2nd Qualifying Round
Maccabi Tel AvivFULL-TIME
Sheriff TiraspolThursday 30 July 2026 · 18:00
Our score 2-0MissedHot tip Maccabi Tel Aviv to win✓ Won
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 Maccabi Tel Aviv a first-leg advantage in this 2nd Qualifying Round tie, while Sheriff Tiraspol, who collected two yellow cards, are left to reflect on a frustrating afternoon in which they failed to find an equaliser.
How the Game Unfolded
The only goal of this 2nd Qualifying Round tie came in the 29th minute, when Sheriff Tiraspol’s S. Kone turned the ball into his own net to give Maccabi Tel Aviv a 1-0 lead.
Vsevolod Nihaev came on for Sheriff Tiraspol in the 59th minute, but his introduction brought little reward — he was booked in the 72nd minute. Both sides made further changes in the final quarter of the match, though none altered the scoreline.
Baye Assane Ciss was booked in the third minute of added time as Sheriff’s frustration spilled over, and the final whistle confirmed a 1-0 win for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The Numbers
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.
