Vikingur Reykjavik beat Hapoel Beer Sheva 2-1 on Tuesday, S. Ottesen keeping his 4-3-3 just compact enough to carry a first-leg lead into the Negev next week. Vikingur have turned their home ground into a qualifying gauntlet over the past two summers, and this felt familiar: disciplined block, ruthless when Nikolaj Hansen received service.
Both managers mirrored each other with 4-3-3s. Early on R. Kozuch asked Kings Kangwa to run the midfield, yet Vikingur’s press stayed coherent and the visitors offered little beyond Igor Zlatanovic’s movement. Kangwa went into the book in the 41st minute for a foul that summed up Beer Sheva’s frustration. Ottesen’s back four, with Oliver Ekroth stepping out on cue, managed the channels and denied quick switches.
Ekroth then delivered at the right moment. In the 48th minute he supplied Hansen, who finished to break the deadlock. The lead lasted three minutes. Zlatanovic finally shook loose, slipped Kangwa in, and the midfielder levelled in the 51st minute. Kozuch briefly had momentum but it flickered out once Miguel VĂtor collected a yellow card in the 63rd minute and was substituted in the 88th. The booking exposed how often Vikingur’s forwards got to the centre-backs first.
Beer Sheva’s bench moves came in waves but without incision. Zakaria Ahmed replaced A. C. Ganah in the 63rd minute, then the double swap on 71 minutes saw Eden Peretz take over from Kangwa while Joe East came on for Muhammed Abu Rumi. None of it altered the rhythm. Vikingur answered with triple reinforcements in the 77th minute, introducing S. Thorkelsson, V. Andrason, and D. Jonsson to freshen the midfield line after Valdimar Þór Ingimundarson’s yellow card in the 76th minute.
The decisive moment arrived in the 86th minute. Orri Borgþórsson, shunted wide but increasingly influential, found Hansen again and the striker scored his second. Ottesen immediately protected the win, withdrawing Hansen for StĂgur Diljan ÞórĂ°arson in stoppage time. Kozuch tried late turbulence, sending on Itay Rotman and Amit Ohana in the 88th minute for VĂtor and Zlatanovic, yet Beer Sheva’s structure remained brittle.
Beer Sheva chased a second away goal that would have changed the tie, but Vikingur’s resolve held. Now Vikingur travel to Turner Stadium carrying momentum, while Beer Sheva must expand their attacking plan fast. Expect Kozuch to lean on Peretz from the start in the return leg. Ottesen will monitor Hansen’s workload after that 90+2 minute switch, but the striker looks ready for another high-mileage night. For a wider view of how the qualifying round is shaping up, keep an eye on our coverage of Omonia Nicosia vs Kairat Almaty.
Key Facts
- Final score: Vikingur Reykjavik 2-1 Hapoel Beer Sheva
- Goals: Nikolaj Hansen 48', Kings Kangwa 51', Nikolaj Hansen 86'
- Yellow cards: Kings Kangwa 41', Miguel VĂtor 63', Valdimar Þór Ingimundarson 76'
- Notable substitutions: Zakaria Ahmed 63', Eden Peretz 71', Joe East 71', triple Vikingur change 77', Itay Rotman 88', Amit Ohana 88', StĂgur Diljan ÞórĂ°arson 90+2'
