Israeli teams hitting stride on the pitch

Maccabi Tel Aviv got by Maccabi Netanya 2-1 in Israel Premier League action at Bloomfield Stadium as Eran Zahavi’s second-half penalty was the difference for the host as it collected the three points. 

Felicio Milson gave the yellow-and-blue the lead off a Dan Bitton ball in the 19th minute, but a number of errors by the Maccabi defense allowed Itamar Shviro the opportunity to draw even two minutes later. 

The diamond city side had a chance to take the lead early in the second half, but Eitan Azoulay’s penalty was saved by an alert Orlando Mosquera. However, in the 54th minute Maccabi had a penalty of its own that Zahavi slotted home as the hosts took the points.

“Netanya is a good club and played well,” head coach Robbie Keane said of his club’s opponent. “We scored early and conceded soon thereafter which is something that shouldn’t happen. Sometimes you need to win ugly as there are always going to be these types of tough games. I liked the character we showed in the second half and the pressure that the players displayed.”

Up north, Maccabi Haifa defeated Hapoel Haifa 3-0 thanks to Lior Refaelov’s brace as the Carmel Mountain was painted all in green thanks to the victory. 

Refaelov, who returned to Israel after a decade of playing in Belgium, gave Maccabi a quick 1-0 lead off a fourth-minute free kick while he doubled the advantage via a header in the 58th minute. Dean David then sealed the win with an injury-time marker to give Messay Dego’s team the points.

“We knew that this game was going to be a big test after what we did last week in Greece,” Dego began following the match. “I’m happy as we picked up a big victory and an important one. This was crucial for the fans and the club and we spoke about this over the past few days.”

Meanwhile, Beitar Jerusalem and Bnei Sakhnin drew 1-1 in dramatic fashion as Amir Berkowitz’s 90th-minute goal earned a split of the points for the capital city squad. 

Sakhnin took a 1-0 lead thanks to a Zahi Ahmed penalty in the 13th minute, but Berkovits found the last-gasp equalizer to take a point at Teddy Stadium.

“When you tie the game up in the 90th minute it’s sure better than a loss,” Beitar coach Yossi Abukasis said. “But I am disappointed in the start of the game where we made many mistakes. We have plenty of issues that we are trying to find solutions to as we are also paying attention to sign some players. However, I am not going to lie to anyone, we are just not good enough and we are trying to find the right balance.”

“If the players felt that they could have done more, then we could have taken more than a point,” Sakhnin coach Slobodan Drapic explained. “After the way we began this game we really should have done better. We have many young players and we are building something new here with guys who have not played in the top league and we are trying to gain confidence and experience game by game.”

Also, Hapoel Beersheba overwhelmed Maccabi Petah Tikva 4-1 as the Southern Reds scored four unanswered goals to take the away win. 

The hosts couldn’t have started the game off any better as Yarden Cohen picked off an errant pass and sent it to Saliou Guindo, who scored from in close to give Petah Tikva a 1-0 lead in the second minute. 

A shell-shocked Beersheba looked to get back into the game, which took quite some time, but once it drew even with just over 20 minutes left in regulation time the floodgates opened for Elyaniv Barda’s squad. 

Niv Fliter scored in the 68th minute from the top of the box, which was followed up by a Rotem Hatuel header to take the lead, while Alon Turgeman and Miguel Vitor also found the back of the goal to take the stunning victory.

“There was a lot of pressure that was released after three poor results,” Barda began. “We gave up an early goal, but we played properly and how I wanted to see us perform. That is very true with how we played in the second half. The guys knew how to bring the energy in an not-ideal situation but we focused on the game and we came together united for this win.”

“We came to play, we wanted this and we pressed,” Petah Tikva coach Benny Lam said. “But we fell apart and mentally broke down. This can’t happen, against a team like Beersheba or Hadera. We must deal with the mental side of our game and we have to lift ourselves up.”

Hapoel wins and losses

Elsewhere, Hapoel Tel Aviv defeated Bnei Reineh 2-1 as the Reds scored a pair of goals in the first half to take the points. 

Omer Senior broke the ice early on after taking advantage of ’keeper Gad Amos’s 17th-minute error to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Omri Altman doubled the advantage with a 41st-minute penalty as Hapoel went into the break with a 2-0 lead. 

Roie Shukrani pulled a goal back in the 52nd minute, but that was as close as the Bnei Reineh would get.

“The team worked very hard as they came into this away game and played a good team,” Hapoel coach Borja Lema began. “We deserved this win and the three points as we played together and scored. We took the lead and felt confident as we came out of the game with the points in what was arguably our best game.”

Down south, Ashdod SC blanked Hapoel Jerusalem 2-0 by the port city as a pair of second-half goals gave the host the win. 

After a goalless first half, Ravid Abergil scored from in close to give Ashdod a 1-0 lead while Ebenezer Mamatah doubled the advantage with an incredible solo effort to take the points. 

“We are going through a process which has been good thus far,” Ashdod coach Eli Levy commented. “We still have some players who will be coming back from injury which will make us an even better team. We did incredible tactical work in this game, we were better and we won. We have come back from the break in good shape and we want to continue this way.”

“Yet another game that we didn’t deserve to lose and I hate to say it,” Jerusalem coach Ziv Arie began. “We had a very good second half and then we gave up a goal out of nowhere. We have been unlucky and nothing is going the way that it should for us as we are still looking for a win.”

Finally, Hapoel Hadera slipped by Hapoel Petah Tikva 1-0 as Tamir Glazer headed home an 84th-minute goal to take the win. 

“We are very content to have earned three points,” Hadera coach Niso Avitan said. “These were two totally different halves, with Petah Tikva being very dangerous in the first while we were better in the second. We controlled the pace of play while creating many chances and finally we scored.”