The goalless draw came before a club statement about corruption allegations against assistant boss Eric Black published by The Daily Telegraph.

The game improved after a poor first half, James Ward-Prowse forcing a save from long range and Maor Melikson and Ben Sahar each going close for Hapoel.

Southampton and Hapoel are level on four points at the top of Group K.

They are one ahead of Sparta Prague, who inflicted a second defeat on Inter Milan after the Italian giants lost their opener 2-0 at home to Hapoel.

That Hapoel have already won in the San Siro and are unbeaten in 23 games at their new Turner Stadium makes this a worthy point for a Southampton side who had won their previous four and made seven changes from Sunday's Premier League victory at West Ham.

However, it was not a great spectacle for the 300 Saints fans who made the 3,000-mile journey to the Israeli champions.

After Virgil van Dijk nearly hit the corner flag with a header from an unmarked position in the six-yard box, the hosts dominated the first half, forcing Southampton boss Claude Puel to withdraw 19-year-old Jake Hesketh if favour of Dusan Tadic after only 33 minutes.

Still, the home side forced no clear chances of note, meaning the game could improve in the second period.

With Saints showing more intent, Ward-Prowse cut in from the left to shoot low and call home keeper David Goresh into action.

However, it was Hapoel who came closest to finding a winner. The impressive Melikson shot wide from inside the box, former Chelsea man Sahar fired off target from outside the box when given a clear sight of goal and Ovidiu Hoban forced Fraser Forster into a smart save.

But the deadlock remained unbroken, with Southampton facing a long journey home before a Premier League trip to Leicester City on Sunday (14:15 BST).

Southampton manager Claude Puel: "It's a good result. We played a very good team. When you cannot win a game it's important to take one point and it's an important point for the future.

On substituting Hesketh after 33 minutes: "It was a tactical problem. It's a young player and a good experience for him, but the pressure of the fans and the players he was up against were very difficult. It was important for me to protect Jake.

"It was a difficult game, this team won 2-0 at Inter Milan. They are physical, tactical and technical. It's a good result and important to take a point."