Maccabi secured a 3-1 victory on a chilly, rainy night in Debrecen, Hungary's second-largest city. While police maintained a presence outside the venue, the security measures in the city, which has a population of approximately 200,000, did not seem excessive.
Following the match, Maccabi's coach Zarko Lazetic expressed the challenges of competing without an audience. He emphasized the importance of fans in football, stating that the game is played to bring joy and excitement to them.
Despite the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, Israeli soccer teams continue to play domestic matches. However, UEFA has determined that due to the situation in Gaza, Israel is unable to host international fixtures.
This match marked Maccabi's first European appearance since the violent incidents involving their fans in the Netherlands on November 7, which were widely condemned as antisemitic by officials in Israel and Europe.
Prior to the Amsterdam match, a large group of Israeli supporters had been heard chanting anti-Arab slogans, and later, local youths reportedly targeted Israeli fans, resulting in physical assaults, as described by the city's mayor. Five individuals required hospital treatment, and numerous arrests were made.
Even before the incidents in Amsterdam, UEFA had decided to relocate Thursday's Europa League match, originally set for Istanbul, to a neutral site following a request from Turkish authorities. Hungary, which has hosted several matches for Israel's national team since the onset of the Gaza conflict, agreed to accommodate the game. AP