The Toto Cup preseason tournament group stage came to an end, with the semifinals now set as Maccabi Netanya hosts Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ironi Kiryat Shmona welcomes Hapoel Tel Aviv this coming Sunday night.
In group play, Hapoel Jerusalem defeated Hapoel Petah Tikva 3-1 as Israel Dappa scored a late brace to help the capital city Reds to the Toto Cup victory. After 75 minutes of goalless play, the floodgates opened as Dappa headed home an Ohad Almagor ball to give the hosts, who are playing their home games in Rehovot, a 1-0 lead.
However, Avishay Cohen equalized at 1-1 in the 84th minute, but Andrew Idoko scored immediately afterward to help Jerusalem retake the lead. Dappa then finished off the win with his second of the game in the 89th minute to give the fans a thrilling end to the Toto Cup group stage.
Hapoel Jerusalem finishes group stage with victory
Petah Tikva will face Bnei Sakhnin, while Jerusalem will play Maccabi Haifa in Toto Cup placement games next weekend.
Jerusalem Head Coach Lior Zada spoke about the win: “I felt the exhaustion of the players in the second half, but the final quarter hour was great, and the guys did what they needed to do to win the game. I’m happy that Israel Dappa was able to score, although he had a rough time when he first came in, but he did what he needed to. We have one more game against Maccabi Haifa at Sammy Ofer Stadium, which will be a good test for us ahead of the season.”
Petah Tikva Head Coach Omer Peretz discussed the defeat: “This wasn’t a good game, and it’s our second one in a row that we had trouble creating chances and that we conceded as well. We have a good base here, but we need to improve, and we have to make sure that we score when we have the chance to. We have a bit of time until the season starts, but we need to strengthen the squad before the league begins.”
Vitalie Damascan looked back at the win: “It was a good game against a tough opponent. Petah Tikva knows how to keep the ball, and I’m happy with how we handled it and that we were able to eventually win. It’s not my first time in Israel, so I’m used to playing, and the club has done everything to make me feel comfortable since I’ve arrived.”
Up north, Maccabi Haifa blanked Bnei Sakhnin 1-0 as Silva Kani put the ball in off Cedric Don’s shot, which had hit the post, to give the Greens the Toto Cup victory.
Haifa will play Hapoel Jerusalem, while Sakhnin will host Hapoel Petah Tikva in placement games next week.
“This was a better game. It wasn’t great, but it was definitely one that was more aggressive,” Haifa Head Coach Barak Bachar began after the win. “We didn’t concede, and they didn’t create chances as easily as they have in recent games. We’re working and putting the pieces together. We’re trying to establish a core of players who can play together, and we’re working and will continue to work. I saw improvement, and I expect to see further improvement going forward.”
Yossi Abukasis summed up the loss: “We’re playing without a natural striker at all; everyone is a midfielder. The only striker in the squad is suspended after receiving a red card, and we’re waiting for a foreign striker to arrive. Our attacking play isn’t good because we don’t have a natural striker. We haven’t been worse than our opponents in these games.”
Kiryat Shmona clinches Toto Cup semifinal berth
Elsewhere, Kiryat Shmona defeated Hapoel Haifa 3-1 as the northerners turned around an early deficit with a trio of second-half goals to finish atop Group A in Toto Cup play with four wins and a spot in the semifinals, where they will play Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Liran Rotman gave the Carmel Reds a lead off a poor clearance by goalkeeper Daniel Tennebaum, but from that point on, it was all Shai Barda’s squad.
Adrian Ugarriza drew Kiryat Shmona even from the penalty spot in the 64th minute, while two minutes later, Ariel Sheratzky sent a left-footed scorcher into the top corner of the goal to snatch a 2-1 lead. Shai Sabag polished off the victory during second-half injury time as he scored into a wide-open goal to secure the win and a place in the semifinals.
Goal scorer Ariel Sheratzky spoke about the match: “We really wanted to reach the semifinals. We wanted it badly, and we appreciate the situation we’re in. We need to continue working hard so that we can be even more prepared for the league, because that’s the real money time. We’ll try to be as prepared as possible and win the next game, but for now, the entire team looks good and is giving everything, so I’m happy about that.”
Hapoel Haifa Head Coach Haim Silvas summed up the loss.
“First of all, credit goes to Kiryat Shmona, who reached the semifinals after recording four wins. We had an excellent first half, and we gave Kiryat Shmona no chances. But the second half is something that has characterized us somewhat so far. Our response to the penalty wasn’t good enough, and we’ll have to learn from that; it’s an excellent lesson. The fact that we conceded a goal immediately after the penalty is something I don’t like. We got ourselves into trouble with the ball in the second half.”
Maccabi Petah Tikva closes group stage with win
Also, Maccabi Petah Tikva slipped by Hapoel Ramat Gan 2-1 in the final game of the Toto Cup group stage. After a goalless first half, Samuel Owusu scored a screamer off the bar to give Petah Tikva the lead, while Liran Hazan doubled the advantage when he headed home the ball in the 74th minute.
Amit scored soon thereafter to cut the lead, but that’s as close as Ramat Gan would get as Ziv Arie’s team wrapped up the win. Petah Tikva will now visit Ironi Tiberias, while Ramat Gan will host Beitar Jerusalem in placement games next week.
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