Ofek Melika left the Tel Aviv disappointed as his penalty save in the first half wasn’t enough to earn his side three points. Roy Korine’s late equalizer denied Maccabi a victory in the Tel Aviv to ensure the points are shared.
The 21-year-old keeper had an excellent performance in goal which included a first half penalty save from Stav Turiel, said after the match: “We are definitely coming away frustrated, but we have another important match on Wednesday. We will get back to Kiryat Shalom, prepare ourselves again, and get our bodies ready.”
On the performance in the derby, Melika added: “First of all, playing away like this with Hapoel’s fans isn’t easy, but I think we fought and gave everything until the very last second. Maybe our level was a bit below par today, but I think we fought until the end, and it’s a shame we couldn’t hold on for those final three minutes.”
Melika, who saved a crucial penalty when both sides met in the Cup earlier this season, and saved another penalty from Omer Atzili against Beitar Jerusalem, said on keeping out Turiel’s spot kick: “We simply did the work and the preparation like we do for every game and every penalty taker. I got a tip from home, and I’m happy I managed to save it.”
Ahead of Wednesday’s home match against Maccabi Haifa, that inflicted Beitar a 3-0 defeat, Melika said: “We’ll get back to Kiryat Shalom tomorrow, do the recovery treatments, another light session, have a good week of training, come in with a positive approach and good spirit, and arrive at the game properly prepared”.
