Beitar Jerusalem Football Club clinched the Israeli State Cup after securing a 3-0 victory over Maccabi Netanya in the final match Tuesday evening.
This achievement marks Beitar’s eighth State Cup win and their first since 2009.
In the presence of 30,000 fans at the Sammy Ofer Stadium in the northern city of Haifa, Moldovan international striker Ion Nicolaesco opened the scoring from close range in the 37th minute, assisted by a precise pass from Russian defender Grigori Morozov.
The score doubled in the 76th minute when Nigerian striker Fred Friday netted an impressive goal from a range of 17 meters, following astute preparation by forward Yarden Shua.
Shua went on to secure the third goal in the 95th minute from a penalty kick, awarded after Colombian winger Danilo Asprilla was taken down in the penalty area by Cameroonian midfielder Boris Enow.
The cup victory secured Beitar a spot in the UEFA Conference League qualifying stage, joining Hapoel Beer Sheva and Maccabi Tel Aviv, who finished second and third respectively in the Israeli Premier League.
