Union St Gilloise Dominate Hapoel Beer Sheva 4–0 in Europa League
Union St Gilloise may have been miles from Brussels, but in Dusseldorf they played like they owned the place.
Forced to stage their Europa League “home” tie against Hapoel Beer Sheva at the Merkur Spiel-Arena, the Belgian side needed time to settle into unfamiliar surroundings. Once they did, they tore into their Israeli visitors with a ruthless second-half surge to seal a 4–0 win and extend their unbeaten start in the competition.
Slow burn, sharp edge
For much of the first half, Union probed without quite snapping into gear. The movement was there, the intent was clear, yet the final action kept slipping away from them. Then, just before the interval, the breakthrough.
Raul Florucz, already on the pitch as an early substitute for the injured Mateo Biondic, stepped up to the spot and buried the penalty. One chance, one clean finish, and Union carried a 1–0 lead into half-time, despite the disruption of another injury blow.
The pattern of the game shifted from there. Hapoel Beer Sheva had to open up. Union, smelling weakness, went after them.
Smith takes over
The pressure finally told just after the hour. Brazilian winger Guiherme Smith, lively all evening, got the reward his direct running deserved. He struck to make it 2–0, a goal that felt like the moment the contest truly broke open.
From that point, Union played with freedom. Passes zipped, attacks flowed, and Hapoel Beer Sheva began to chase shadows inside a stadium that suddenly felt very much like a Belgian stronghold.
The third arrived through another substitute with something to prove. Darius Olaru, already forced off injured and replaced by Dylan Aquino, watched from the sidelines as his stand-in seized the moment. Aquino, a summer signing from Lanus, swept in his first goal for Union St Gilloise to push the scoreline to 3–0 and underline the depth in this squad.
Hapoel Beer Sheva were reeling. Union were not finished.
Smith struck again on 80 minutes, his second of the night capping a commanding performance on the flank and rounding off a 4–0 scoreline that reflected the dominance of the second half far more than the cagey opening stages.
Unbeaten and unflinching in Europe
The victory continues a quietly impressive Europa League campaign. Union St Gilloise opened with a win over Viktoria Plzen, then held Real Sociedad to a 1–1 draw last week. Now comes a third result to underline their credentials: three games, no defeats, and growing confidence on the continental stage.
Next up is another test against Spanish opposition, Celta Vigo, fresh from their own away win at Celtic. A neutral venue in Germany, injuries to key players, and still Union St Gilloise found a way to impose themselves.
If this is how they look on the road, what ceiling do they really have in this Europa League run?
