Kings Kangwa and Hapoel Beer Sheva overcome threat of rocket attack to win Israeli State Cup

Photo: Hapoel Beer Sheva/Facebook

Despite a brief pause due to the threat of rocket fire from Yemen, Hapoel Beer Sheva and Zambian star Kings Kangwa overcame Beitar Jerusalem to win the final of Israel's State Cup with a 2-0 result in Tel Aviv on Thursday.

A first half penalty kick from Dan Biton put Hapoel ahead and Zahi Ahmed's late goal confirmed a fourth State Cup for the club, who will be happy to claim a trophy after coming up just short of an Israeli Premier League title.

The event of the match that caused the most discussion happened towards the end of the first half when rocket attack warning sirens went off in the Israeli capital due to threats of an attack from Yemen, causing the players to evacuate the Bloomfield Stadium pitch. After ten to fifteen minutes, the players returned and played the rest of the match without incident.

The State Cup title caps off a brilliant season for Zambia national team star Kangwa. The midfielder ends his season with 15 goals and 9 assists in 42 matches across all competitions, being recognized as the Best Foreign Player in the league and named to the league's Best XI. Hapoel will take part in the UEFA Conference League next season.