Claudio Ranieri hailed his team's "brilliant performance" and their "good spirit" after they were dumped out ofthe UEFA Cup by the Israeli minnows.
Despite the embarrassing aggregate defeat, Ranieri spoke positively about his players. He said: "The result went against us but the performance was brilliant for Chelsea.
"I think my players deserved to win tonight, but in the end it is Tel Aviv who go through because they were calm, they kept possession and they countered well.
"I am disappointed with the result, but happy with the spirit of my players. This is a big blow because it was important to go forward in the UEFA Cup. We are building something here and this match was important."
Ranieri conceded that the mood in the Chelsea dressing room after the game was naturally down.
Not surprisingly, feelings were different among the visitors where Hapoel Tel Aviv manager Dror Kashtan hailed his team's achievement as a huge moment for Israeli football and for the country as a whole.
He said: " There is a great feeling about what we have achieved, the players did a terrific job and showed great courage. The people back in Israel are already celebrating a glorious moment for the nation."
Kashtan singled out his goalkeeper, Shavit Elimelech, who produced a series of heroic saves to deny Chelsea.
"I give him 10 out of 10 - and I have never before given anyone 10!" said Kashtan.
