- YB wins the second leg of the Champions League playoffs at home against Maccabi Haifa 3-0, the first leg had ended 0-0.
- Two crosses from Meschack Elia and a lightning hit in the 2nd half by Filip Ugrinic brought the Berners, who were efficient but also defensively happy, the ultimate clear victory.
- This is “yellow-black” for the third time after 2018 and 2021 in the group phase of the “premier class”.
Exactly 59 seconds were played after the change of sides when the Bernese Champions League dreams took shape. Filip Ugrinic reacted the quickest after an insufficient defense of the guests. His outside instep missile deflected untenably for Maccabi keeper Itamar Nitzan. The 3-0, the 3-goal mortgage for Haifa – one could hardly imagine that YB could still stumble here. The mood of the 31,500 fans in the stands was correspondingly euphoric.
And it stayed that way. Fabian Rieder in what was perhaps his last assignment for “yellow-black” and Cedric Itten even missed good opportunities for the 4th goal. In the case of the Israelis, hope gradually gave way to resignation, and isolated chances for the consolation goal were missed. Rieder, for his part, was called off after 73 minutes. When he left, he seemed to soak up the atmosphere in Wankdorf as well as possible. Not only will his upcoming transfer to Stade Rennes bring money into the coffers, but also his entry into the Champions League. After all, this is worth almost 16 million euros.
Fortune protects, Elijah flanks
The fact that YB goalie Anthony Racioppi ended up with zero was not a matter of course. While YB was stable at the back and harmless at the front during the guest appearance in Israel, almost the opposite was the case 6 days later at the beginning of the game. The defense presented itself shaky. After a double mistake by Loris Benito and Mohamed Ali Camara, Dean David hit the post in the 3rd minute. After half an hour, the central defender duo was again indisposed, which resulted in a late header from Frantzdy Pierrot.
Fortuna undoubtedly helped. But also in the Bern offensive there was more and above all more efficient operation. The efforts bore fruit twice – each time via the omnipresent Meshack Elia on the right couloir:
- 23 minutes: After a combination worth seeing, Elia crosses to the middle. His pass finds Itten’s head, who doesn’t need to be asked twice.
- 28 minutes: Only 5 hand revolutions later, Elia is looking for Itten again. Haifa defender Abdoulaye Seck intervened and deflected the ball into his own goal in an untenable arc.
If you were still extremely well served with the 2:0 lead after half a workload, Ugrinic nipped any doubts in the bud after only 1 minute in the 2nd half. The path to the magical Europe Nights in Wankdorf has been paved. Which top-class artists from 19./20. We will find out what the Young Boys are calling for on September 12 on Thursday from 6 p.m. when the groups are drawn in Monaco.