Israeli Premier League: Mixing the top

The Israeli Premier League had a mid-week matchday and kept its surprising and unexpected opening.

Maccabi Haifa is Lost

A few weeks ago, Maccabi Haifa was mentioned as the best title contender in the league. On Saturday, they lost in the derby against Hapoel Haifa. All Maccabi Haifa wanted to do is avoid another defeat in an away match against Hapoel Kfar Saba.

Maccabi Haifa began the match well with an opening goal by Ofri Arad in the 22nd minute. They got a chance to score the second at the 37th minute when Maccabi Haifa was awarded a penalty kick. Nikita Rukavytsya took the shot, but Hapoel Kfar Saba's reserve goalkeeper, Matan Zalmanovich stopped it.

The second half was a complete upset. Luwagga Kizito, the Uganda national team player, scored the equalizer at the 48th minute. Five minutes later, Ofri Arad found the net again, but this time it was an own goal. It wasn't the end for Hapoel Kfar Saba when Kizito scored another goal by a penalty kick in the 70th minute. No player from Uganda ever played in Israel until the last season, when Kizito signed alongside Timothy Away. His recent performances could make scouts pay more attention to this country.

Only in the additional time, Rukavytsya made his payback time with a goal, but it was too late. The Australian maintains his scoring record, becoming the second-ever player in the league to score in the first six matches. The previous one to do so was Eran Zahavi in the 2014-15 season. For Maccabi Haifa, it's still not enough if they want to win the title.

Minnows' Time to Shine

When Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv are behind, other teams are taking the risk and trying to get the leadership.

At the end of this matchday, the leader is Ironi Kiryat Shmona, who defeated Hapoel Tel Aviv 1-0. Kiryat Shmona is still the only undefeated team in the league. One point behind it's Maccabi Petah Tikva that defeated Beitar Jerusalem 2-1. FC Ashdod and Maccabi Netanya are behind them after Ashdod thrashed Netanya 4-0.

We tend to see more surprising teams in the top places in European leagues. Until that moment, Israel is joining the trend. Under unusual rules like playing behind closed doors, the teams will wait to see whether this season can be an option for one of these teams to make an unforgettable year.

Waiting for A Change

Bnei Sakhnin hoped that their recent signings would give them a chance to improve their results. In the last weekend, they defeated Hapoel Kfar Saba, but they made it without their new key player, Beram Kayal. Sakhnin made another change in the recent matches, as they are now using Mahmoud Kannadil as their goalkeeper instead of Rami Hamadeh. As a result, we missed an all-Palestinian clash in their game against Hapoel Hadera between Hamade and his teammate from Al-Fida'i, Abdallah Jaber.

Kayal's debut wasn't a match to remember for Bnei Sakhnin. The team didn't play well and saw the dominance of Odah Marshall, who scored a hat-trick. Asi Guma added another one, and Hapoel Hadera won 4-0. Bnei Sakhnin is still looking confused and not accurate enough. Kayal is still not in form, but also another important signing, the Suriname national team player, Nigel Hasselbaink. Meanwhile, they are in the last place with the worst defensive record in the league – 18 goals in six matches.