Late drama and big results shake up Israel Premier League before three-week international break

In a physical, closely contested matchup, both sides had opportunities, but it took until the final minute for Elyaniv Barda’s Reds to break through. Daniel Dappa delivered a phenomenal pass to Alkukin, who slotted the ball past Ofir Marciano and into the back of the net to secure a hard-earned victory.

“It was a very emotional experience for me, being back at Turner Stadium,” Barda said of facing his former club. “It was a high-level tactical game from both teams, fairly evenly matched, with chances at both ends. We adjusted after they changed their formation, and the game became balanced again, with us creating opportunities on the counterattack. I’m happy that one of those transitions resulted in a goal.”

Alkukin was understandably thrilled with the decisive strike.

“I’m on an incredible high. There’s no feeling like it in the world. To win an extremely difficult game at such a tough stadium, against a team like that, and move into first place is amazing.”

After a goalless opening 45 minutes, an Andrija Novakovich own goal gave the visitors a 1-0 lead in the 48th minute. Oz Bilu then doubled the advantage with a left-footed curler past Omri Glazer before Nadav Nidam blasted a right-footed stunner from the top of the box into the net in the 87th minute. Just two minutes later, Eylon Almog added the fourth to complete the emphatic victory.

Bachar announced his resignation afterward, saying: “This is an extremely difficult moment for me. I feel that the team needs a change. I worked very hard to turn this team around, but it didn’t work. My heart aches for the fans. I have just informed Ya’ankele [owner Yakov Shachar] that I am resigning. It hurts deeply, but I believe this team needs a change.”

Netanya head coach Roni Levy was pleased with his team’s response after a difficult opening half.

“In the first half, we lacked composure. That’s natural for a team that isn’t confident enough, but once that changed, we saw a strong team. I see that every week in training, so it doesn’t surprise me. We’re working constantly, and now we’re able to pick up the points and give it our all.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Petah Tikva played to a dramatic 2-2 draw at Bloomfield Stadium, with the visitors grabbing a last-gasp equalizer in second-half stoppage time.

Sagiv Yehezkel opened the scoring in the 19th minute after a beautiful through ball from Issouf Sissokho, giving the hosts a 1-0 advantage. However, Guy Deznet was brought down inside the penalty area by Raz Shlomo, and Guy Hadida calmly converted the resulting penalty in the 52nd minute to level the contest.

Ester Sokler appeared to have secured all three points for Maccabi when he finished off a Yehezkel assist in the 90th minute. But Petah Tikva refused to surrender, with veteran defender Eitan Tibi heading home in the 94th minute to rescue a dramatic point.

Maccabi Head Coach Kenny Miller was disappointed with the result.

“We dropped two points at home, and that’s really disappointing for us. We had scored late in the game, only to concede from a corner deep into stoppage time. We weren’t good today, and we’re all disappointed.”

Petah Tikva coach Ziv Arie acknowledged that his team had struggled with its energy levels but was pleased to come away with a point.

Mansour Badjie broke the deadlock early in the second half, latching onto a Niv Gotlieb through ball before going one-on-one with Beitar goalkeeper Miguel Silva and beating him in the 47th minute. However, less than 15 minutes later, Nana Antwi blasted home a Eugene Ansah pass to bring Beitar level. The capital city side continued searching for a winner but ultimately had to settle for a draw.

Beitar Assistant Coach Moshe Ohayon was frustrated by his team’s inability to capitalize on its possession.

“We did a lot of good things, but this is the result. Something hasn’t been clicking in the final third lately. We controlled the game, but ultimately, a 1-1 draw is extremely disappointing. We need to know how to turn our possession and control into chances and goals.”

Hapoel Jerusalem and Bnei Sakhnin also played to a 1-1 draw, with Modestas Vorobjovas opening before Vitalie Damascan found the equalizer early in the second half.

Sakhnin took a 1-0 lead in the 18th minute when Vorobjovas blasted the ball past a helpless Nadav Zamir. However, Damascan scored from close range shortly after the break to bring the capital city Reds level. Hapoel Jerusalem pressed for a winner but came up empty as the teams shared the points.

Jerusalem coach Lior Zada felt his side had missed an opportunity to create some breathing room in the standings.

“We should have won this game, and we knew that a victory would have given us some breathing space. A draw isn’t awful, but we could have gotten more.”

Barda was delighted with his team’s performance and the opportunities it provided for younger players.

“I’m very happy for the team, as they worked extremely hard. Sometimes things even themselves out, and I’m very pleased. They deserve this. Now we need to make proper use of the international break. Other teams need to learn from this: stick to your philosophy and give young players opportunities.”

Hapoel Haifa head coach Haim Silvas was furious with the officiating, criticizing referee Nael Odeh following the dismissal and the defeat.

Finally, Hapoel Petah Tikva edged Hapoel Ramat Gan 2-1, with Boni Amian and Roi Levy scoring two minutes apart in the first half to put their team in control. Moshe Semal pulled a goal back for the newly promoted visitors in the second half, but it wasn’t enough as Petah Tikva held on to collect all three points.