Another matchday in the Israeli Premier League is over. No changes on top, but with tight battles for a place in the championship group.
We already discussed the biggest effect on the championship race, the schedule. Maccabi Haifa was the first to play this week, with a home match against Ironi Kiryat Shmona.
Kiryat Shmona had a few moments of joy when Lúcio Maranhão scored the first in the 8th minute. One minute later, Bogdan Planic equalized, and from that moment, Maccabi Haifa took the dominance back. Mohammad Abu Fani scored in the 24th minute. In the 32nd minute, a crucial mistake of Kiryat Shomna's goalkeeper Džiugas Bartkus, who decide to deliberately kick a ball on an opponent player after the referee has awarded him a foul. The Lithuanian goalkeeper has been sent off and was replaced by Nadav Zamir, a 19-year-old player that made his senior debut.
In the second half, Maccabi Haifa took over the match completely. Abu Fani completed a brace in the 53rd minute. In the 68th minute, Godsway Donyoh scored for the third league match in a row. Abdallah Halihal's goal in the 87th minute for Kiryat Shmona concluded the game with an impressive 4-2 win.
Posted by מועדון כדורגל מכבי חיפה Maccabi Haifa FC on Sunday, 28 February 2021
Still in The Race
Maccabi Tel Aviv was once again chasing Haifa to close the gap. After their matches against Shakhtar Donetsk, they can now focus on winning the domestic double. On the morning of their match against FC Ashdod, they had bad news when Aleksandar Pešić was tested positive for coronavirus.
FC Ashdod is known as the league's black horse of the season, but one mistake decided the match in an early stage. In the 15th minute, the Ugandan international Timothy Awany tried to clear the ball away from the box but passed it to Eyal Golasa, who scored for Maccabi Tel Aviv. Matan Hozez converted a successful penalty in the 74th minute, and Maccabi Tel Aviv got one step closer to the win. Roei Gordana curled a shot from 16 meters in the 81st minute, as FC Ashdod has finally found the net but failed to equalize the score. Avi Rikan added one more in the additional time, and Maccabi Tel Aviv won 3-1.
Maccabi Haifa is still on top with two points lead over Maccabi Tel Aviv, as we are four matches away from the end of the first stage of the season.
שערים של גולסה , חוזז וריקן מעניקים ניצחון חשוב! 💪🏼 יופי מכבי! 🤩 https://bit.ly/3bILY0s
Posted by Maccabi Tel Aviv FC - מועדון הכדורגל מכבי ת"א on Monday, 1 March 2021
The Old-New Guy
Hapoel Be'er Sheva has finally appointed a new manager, Roni Levy. His debut match in the club was against Beitar Jerusalem, the team that sacked him last August after Albanian Teuta defeated him in the first qualifying round of the Europa League.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva missed a few chances to take the lead during the first half. The best opportunity was in the 25th minute when Josue missed a penalty kick after a perfect save by Itamar Nitzan. At the beginning of the second half, Yarden Shua continued with his form, found the net, and gave Beitar Jerusalem the lead. Hapoel Be'er Sheva tried to equalize but done it too late in the 83rd minute, after an excellent move by Rotem Hatuel.
The 1-1 draw is making things a bit complicated for both clubs. Hapoel Be'er Sheva is still far from securing their spot in the championship group. Beitar Jerusalem will have to look for points if they want to avoid the bottom places.
Escaping from Bottom
Hapoel Tel Aviv, one of Israel's biggest clubs, is still looking to escape the relegation zone. An away match against Maccabi Netanya might be challenging, but Hapoel Tel Aviv arrived after six consecutive games without a defeat.
The only goal in the match was scored by mistake. Ben Bitton passed and tried to found one of his teammates, and Zlatan Šehović attempted to clear the ball away but made a mistake and scored an own goal. Hapoel Tel Aviv won 1-0, and they are three points away from 13th place.
Thumbnail photo by Hapoel Be’er Sheva official Facebook page
