Saints turn to sinners with Europa League exit

Southampton have crashed out of the Europa League following a 1-1 draw with Hapoel Be’er-Sheva in Group K at St Mary’s.

Needing a win or a scoreless draw to advance to the last-32, the Saints committed the cardinal sin of sitting back and soaking up pressure rather than forcing the game. Claude Puel’s team looked as though they might escape punishment as the clocked ticked towards 90 with the teams locked at 0-0 but sloppy defending by the home side let Maor Bar Buzaglo in to smash home the opener for Hapoel on 79 minutes.

The Saints ploughed forward looking for two late goals to rescue their European dreams; they got one as Virgil van Dijk finished home from close range to set up a frantic finish.

And they came within inches of getting the winner with Maya Yoshida heading inches wide in the last minute of three in added time. A minute later it was over and Southampton were out, Hapoel advancing as group runners-up courtesy of a better head-to-head record, having drawn 0-0 at home with the Saints earlier in the group.

An even start to the tie saw neither side able to gain the upper hand or create a clear-cut effort on goal. When that chance did come it was for Hapoel. A cross from the left flew over plenty of bodies before reaching the feet of Buzaglo, who took a shot before smashing a wasteful effort over the bar.

As the Saints struggled to assert themselves on the game, the St Mary’s crowd roared their approval on 20 minutes as they believed the referee had awarded a spot kick, only to be let down by the sudden realisation that a free-kick for offside had been awarded the other way.

They did get a real chance soon after as Nathan Redmond was fed from a free-kick and charged towards the opposition area, with the option to play in Oriol Romeu, he decided to hold on, sucking up the space, and passing to Romeu when the chance had all but gone.

Redmond almost made amends soon after as he lined up an effort from 25 yards which bent towards the top corner where the keeper pushed the effort clear.

The Saints chances took a blow five minutes before the break as Charlie Austin came down awkwardly on his shoulder and was forced to leave the field with Ireland international Shane Long called into the tie in his stead.

Hapoel continued to threaten the Saints after the interval as some sloppy defending afforded them openings in attack; Yoshida being forced to make a fine block on a Ben Sahar shot the key moment just after the sides returned to the pitch.

At the other end a Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg free-kick came to Van Dijk in the box, who caught unawares failed to capitalise as the ball was cleared.

Long came agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock when stretching to meet a Ryan Bertrand ball at the back post only to be just nicked to it by the closing Hapoel defender.

On the hour Dusan Tadic was called into the game for Josh Sims, the Serbian making his first appearance in a month since breaking his nose on international duty.

Van Dijk had a second chance to put the Saints in front from a set-piece with 20 minutes to go, this time rising to meet a corner, only to send his header just wide of the post.

At 0-0, and not forcing the game in search of a goal, the Saints were always living dangerously and Hapoel took advantage of their host’s lack of incision. Some hugely careless defending given the precarious nature of the tie saw the ball given away and Buzaglo played in at the top of the box where he smashed home a sublime effort into the bottom-left corner past keeper Fraser Forster.

With just over ten minutes left to somehow conjure two goals in order to advance the Saints streamed forward, peppering the Hapoel box, with headers from Yoshida and Tadic both being met by saves from keeper David Goresh.

And then they got a lifeline: a cross from the left fell for Van Dijk ten yards out to finish home with the help of a deflection a minute into stoppage time.

With two of three minutes of added time left on the clock the Saints continued to push forward and they had a gilt-edged chance to grab the winner at the death. Substitute James Ward-Prowse lofted a fine ball into the box from the right where Yoshida rose to meet it, making what seemed a perfect connection, only to see the ball go agonisingly wide. Life is cruel and don’t Southampton know it.

Photo: Getty/Michael Steele

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