do Shahar celebrated his birthday with a temporary equaliser in the away match against Lugano, but unfortunately for Maccabi Tel Aviv, the first of the two Conference League Play-Off matches ended in a 2-1 defeat in Switzerland. The midfielder shared his disappointment with the result after the final whistle, while expressing strong belief ahead of next week’s return leg at the Batumi Stadium.
“To be honest, I would have been much happier if we had won this game and I had received the perfect birthday present,” Shahar said after the match. “Yes, I’m happy with my goal. It was the equaliser, but unfortunately we ended up losing. Having said that, as a team we fully believe that with the support of the fans next week in Batumi, we’ll get the job done.”
Speaking about the Swiss opponents, the midfielder added: “They’re a very strong and intense team. There’s a reason they’re currently top of the table in Switzerland and the only team there with a perfect record. But again, this is Europe. It’s great to be playing in Europe and it’s great to be involved in these kinds of matches. This is why we win championships and trophies – to play games like these and ultimately reach the league phase. We also have to know how to beat and get past teams like this, and I truly believe we’ll do that next week.”
“The result isn’t ideal, but we’re still very much in the tie,” he continued. “This is only half-time in the tie. We’re one goal behind, but everything is still open. We’re very much alive, and we’ll do everything we can to win the game and qualify for the next round next week.”
Before the decisive European fixture, Maccabi will begin their league campaign against Hapoel Jerusalem this coming Sunday: “We can’t forget that before the return leg, we have our opening league match against Hapoel Jerusalem. Again, we want to do everything we can to win that game and go into next week with good momentum.”
