Hapoel Tel Aviv slipped past Maccabi Haifa 2-1 in Israel Premier League play as the Reds took a 2-0 lead into halftime and held on for the victory despite a frantic second-half effort by the Greens to draw even.
Elyaniv Barda’s squad took an early lead from an own goal by Tsunami, who redirected a Mayembo header into his own net. Hapoel doubled its advantage just before the break when Roie Alkukin’s long-range shot glanced off Daniel Dappa and past goalkeeper Omri Glazer for a 2-0 lead.
Bruninho pulled a goal back for Haifa in the second half as the visitors pushed for an equalizer, but Hapoel held firm to secure all three points.
“We were very tired in the second half, that’s true,” Hapoel coach Elyaniv Barda said. “Having two major challenges within four days is something we’ll need to learn to deal with if we want to continue on our current path. I’m very pleased with these three points. Even when we were under pressure, we defended well as a team. Knowing how to protect such a narrow lead and come away with the win was very important.”
Haifa coach Barak Bachar acknowledged his team’s struggles in the opening half but saw some positives after the break.
“The first half was quite strange, but in the second half we had a number of attempts, picked up the pace and played better,” Bachar said. “We struggled with the little things again, and that is how we will be able to beat some of the bigger teams. We are improving and building a strong base.”
Hapoel Beersheba rallies to 5-2 victory as Yehoshua scores twice
In other action, Hapoel Beersheba stormed back to defeat Maccabi Petah Tikva 5-2 at the Moshava Stadium as Niv Yehoshua scored twice against his former club to lead the Southern Reds to an impressive comeback ahead of their Europa League matchup against OFI Crete on Thursday.
Yehoshua opened the scoring early in the first half with a long-range strike after stealing the ball, but Liran Hazan and Guy Deznet responded with terrific goals to give Ziv Arie’s side a 2-1 halftime advantage.
Beersheba coach Ran Kozuk made four substitutions at the break, and the changes paid dividends immediately. Adrian Ugarriza drew a penalty that Igor Zlatanovic converted to level the score at 2-2. From there, the visitors took control, with Yehoshua scoring his second before Zahi Ahmed and Ugarriza added goals from close range to complete the rout.
“I’m happy with the final result because the fans deserved a good performance,” Kozuk said. “I wasn’t happy that we created absolutely nothing and played with far too much ego in the first half. We lost every battle and were very soft, both in the middle of the pitch and out wide. We made the necessary corrections at halftime and did what we needed to do.”
Meanwhile, Maccabi Tel Aviv bounced back from its difficult Toto Cup final loss to Hapoel Tel Aviv with a commanding 5-0 victory over Hapoel Ramat Gan at Rehovot Stadium.
Elad Madmon opened the scoring with a header off a James Tavernier delivery, before a Marco Silva own goal doubled the Yellow-and-Blue’s advantage. Dor Peretz made it 3-0 before halftime, and second-half substitute Ester Sokler added two more to complete the dominant performance.
“It was a strong performance from us from start to finish,” Maccabi coach Kenny Miller said. “We scored an early goal and almost scored another late on with the penalty at the end. It was a very pleasing performance. If we want to succeed, we need to be ready for games like this.”
Late penalty earns Kiryat Shmona dramatic draw against Beitar Jerusalem
Beitar Jerusalem and Ironi Kiryat Shmona played to a dramatic 1-1 draw as a late penalty allowed the visitors to snatch a point.
Adi Yona gave the yellow-and-black a first-half lead, but Amadou Sagna converted from the spot deep into second-half stoppage time to secure the equalizer. The penalty also resulted in Timoti Muzie being sent off after receiving his second yellow card.
Beitar assistant coach Aviram Bruchian was furious with the decision.
“As we saw on the pitch, we had a feeling it wasn’t a penalty,” Bruchian said. “We went into the dressing room and watched the video. We were certain VAR would intervene, but it didn’t happen. It’s extremely disappointing, especially in such a late moment in a heated match. To give a penalty in the 90th minute and beyond, VAR should have intervened.”
Maccabi Netanya and Hapoel Jerusalem also shared the points after playing to a 1-1 draw in a match that featured plenty of action and a late dismissal. Isaac gave Netanya the lead in the first half but was sent off after receiving his second yellow card late in the contest.
Nadim Warsana took advantage to score the equalizer and earn the Reds a share of the points.
Netanya coach Roni Levy acknowledged his team’s frustration but urged supporters to stay behind the players.
“Sometimes things get stuck in football, and we’ve done a lot this season with the team. It’s just not going the way we want, and we draw at home, but we were down to 10 men and could have lost the game,” Levy said.
Hapoel Jerusalem coach Lior Zada was satisfied to escape with a point after a difficult stretch.
“We didn’t have enough time with a man advantage to be disappointed with just a draw, but I’m content that after a run of losses we were able to take a point here,” Zada said.
Hapoel Haifa defeated Hapoel Petah Tikva 2-1 as goals from Alon Turgeman and Naor Sabag secured the points for the Carmel Reds.
Turgeman scored from close range before Sabag headed home a corner kick to give Haifa a two-goal cushion. Yves Bile pulled one back for Petah Tikva deep into second-half stoppage time, but it was too little, too late.
Also, Bnei Sakhnin and Ironi Tiberias rounded out the action with a 1-1 draw.
Mansour Badjie gave the Kinneret-based visitors a first-half lead, but Ori Dahan headed home the equalizer to earn Sakhnin a point.
Sakhnin coach Abukasis frustrated despite strong performance
Sakhnin coach Yossi Abukasis felt his team deserved more from the contest.
“This was by far our best performance of the season,” Abukasis said. “We had complete control, with pressing, winning the ball back and creating chances, everything we could have asked for except putting the ball in the net. It was an excellent performance. Sometimes you play games like this and lose, so we should be happy with the point.”
Tiberias coach Alon Ziv was relieved to leave with something to show for his team’s efforts.
“We escaped this game by the skin of our teeth,” Ziv said. “We had some good counterattacks in the first half, but then we dropped too deep and failed to get into the game in the second half. We came away with a point, but it was a very difficult one."
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