Zambia international Klings Kangwa scored twice as Hapoel Be’er Sheva secured an impressive 3-1 victory over defending champions Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Premier League.
The midfielder struck in the second half and added a stoppage-time goal to seal the win, capping a dominant individual display.
Maccabi Tel Aviv started brightly and almost took the lead inside six minutes when Roy Revivo’s powerful effort forced a fine save from Niv Eliasi. Osher Davida then fired over from close range as the hosts applied early pressure.
Be’er Sheva grew into the contest and took the lead in the 28th minute. Mohamad Abu Rumi delivered a cross into the area and Eliel Peretz headed past goalkeeper Ofek Melika from close range.
The visitors continued to threaten, with Kangwa going close earlier in the half after striking narrowly wide from distance.
The match saw a key moment before half-time when Saied Abu Farchi was initially shown a red card following a challenge on Lucas Ventura. After a VAR review, referee Gal Leibovic downgraded the decision to a yellow card.
Maccabi drew level in the 53rd minute after VAR awarded a penalty for handball. Abu Farchi converted from the spot to make it 1-1.
However, the response from Be’er Sheva was immediate. Straight from the restart, Kangwa drove forward from midfield and finished calmly to restore his side’s lead.
The hosts pushed for an equaliser late on, with Dor Peretz testing Eliasi, but Be’er Sheva remained compact defensively.
Kangwa sealed the victory deep into stoppage time, finishing a counter-attack with a composed chipped effort to secure all three points.
A big win for Be’er Sheva who are back at the top of the Israeli Premier League with 59 points, two above Beitar Jerusalem.
Kangwa has now made 15 goal contributions in the Israeli Premier league so far this season (10 goals and 5 assists).
