Hapoel Be'er Sheva and Dinamo Zagreb shared the points in a match corresponding to the first matchday of the UEFA Europa League league phase, played at the Giulesti Stadium, where neither side managed to break the deadlock over the course of ninety minutes, closing out the scoreline at 0-0.
How the match unfolded
The Israeli side took control of the ball from the outset and set up a siege-style match, racking up a notable 66% possession compared to their Croatian rivals' 34%. However, the abundance of the ball did not translate into decisive attacking clarity, and Dinamo Zagreb, sitting deeper, looked to make their mark through quick transitions.
The match's first setback arrived early, in the 24th minute, when Dinamo Zagreb were forced to make a change earlier than planned: Lukas Kacavenda had to leave the pitch through injury and was replaced by Miha Zajc, a forced substitution that shaped part of the visitors' approach for the rest of the first half.
The second half maintained the pattern of home dominance without reward. Hapoel created chances, but their finishing let them down, while Dinamo remained solid in defense and looked to exploit the spaces left by their opponents to try to catch them out with pace.
Goals and key moments
The match produced no goals, so the most relevant moments came through changes on the bench. After the forced substitution in the 24th minute due to Kacavenda's injury, Dinamo Zagreb made attacking adjustments in the second half: in the 63rd minute Smail Prevljak came on for Arbër Hoxha, and a minute later, in the 64th minute, Luka Ivanusec replaced Mislav Orsic, moves aimed at energizing the Croatian attack.
On the home side, the Hapoel coach began making changes from the 69th minute, when Amir Ganah replaced Jonas Malede. In the closing stages, in the 75th minute, there was a double substitution with Mohammad Kna'an coming on for Amankwah Forson and Muhammad Abu Rumi replacing Javon East, in search of freshening up the attack and finding the goal that never came.
Dinamo Zagreb also refreshed their attack in the 78th minute with the introduction of Kirill Kravtsov and Iker Almena for Luka Stojkovic and Mateo Lisica respectively, while Hapoel used up their final substitutions in the 82nd minute with the introductions of Ofir Davidzada and Idan Nachmias for Pedro Amador and Matan Baltaxa. None of the changes altered the final result.
The numbers
The statistics clearly reflect the story of the match: Hapoel Be'er Sheva were markedly superior in terms of volume of play, with 15 shots to Dinamo Zagreb's 7, and a similar gap in shots on target (2 to 1). The xG also favored the Israeli side, with 0.82 against a modest 0.31 for their Croatian rivals.
Possession was another telling figure, with 66% for Hapoel against 34% for Dinamo, backed by far superior passing circulation: 619 completed passes by the home side compared to just 264 for the visitors. Corners also favored Hapoel, with 6 to 2.
Dinamo Zagreb, for their part, were more disciplined in terms of fouls committed against their opponents (13 to 10) and produced an efficient defensive performance, with 2 saves from their goalkeeper compared to just one intervention from the home custodian. Neither team saw a card throughout the entire match.
How the table stands
With this result, both teams collect their first point of the Europa League league phase after matchday one. Dinamo Zagreb sit in eighth position with 1 point, the product of their only match played, which ended in a draw with no goals registered at either end.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva sit immediately behind, in ninth place, also with 1 point after their opening fixture. Both share the same neutral goal difference (0), in a competition start where the top of the table is dominated by teams such as Sparta Prague, Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen, Lyon, Olympiacos, Omonia Nicosia and Sunderland, all of whom won on their debut and sit with 3 points.
Our take
In our view, the most significant takeaway from the night is the enormous gap between Hapoel Be'er Sheva's dominance and their inability to reflect it on the scoreboard. 66% possession, 15 shots and an xG of 0.82 are figures that, in most contexts, should translate into at least one goal, and their absence leaves the sense of a missed opportunity for the Israeli side at home.
Dinamo Zagreb, for their part, knew how to adapt to a match they didn't control at all, resisting with discipline and using their substitutions to try to generate occasional danger, albeit without much clarity. The draw, in that sense, can be read as a fair result when weighing overall performance, though it also serves as a warning sign for Hapoel ahead of their upcoming European fixtures, where clinical finishing will be decisive in climbing a table that already shows seven teams with a perfect record of wins.
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