Preview:
Maccabi arrived at the new stadium in Rehovot for the WINNER league curtain raiser away to Hapoel Jerusalem which was relocated from Teddy stadium due to the condition of the pitch. Three days after the first leg of the Conference League Play-Off in Lugano and four days before the return leg in Batumi, Kenny Miller and his charges put aside their European aspirations in favor of the domestic campaign.
Miller made a couple of changes in defense from the side which lost 2-1 at Lugano as Itai Ben Hamo and Noam Ben Harosh replaced Ali Camara and Tyrese Asante at the heart and on the right side of defense. Raz Shlomo partnered Ben Hamo as the second central defender while Roy Revivo returned to the side after serving his one-match touchline ban following the red card he received in the Super Cup. Itamar Noy was named as the anchorman in Maccabi’s engine room together with Ido Shahar who scored the goal in Lugano and captain Dor Peretz.
On the wings Miller named Osher Davida and Helio Varela to supply the width and hopefully the ammunition for Ester Sokler. The Slovenian striker made his Maccabi league debut upfront and after scoring against CSKA Sofia, Sokler will aim to open his domestic account as well.
On the bench alongside Camara and Asante, Miller named goalkeeper Roi Mishpati, as well as Dan Glazer, Ori Azo, Issouf Sissokho, Hisham Layous, Saied Abu Farchi and Ilay Ben Simon.
First half:
A sold out Rehovot stadium packed to its’ 5000 capacity supplied a perfect backdrop for the opening league match of the 2026/27 season. But Maccabi couldn’t have wished for a worse start to the match and campaign as they found themselves a goal behind with less than a minute on the clock. Shortly after referee Gal Levy got the match underway, Hapoel Jerusalem launched men forward. What seemed like a harmless ball which was pushed to Vitalie Damascan, saw the Jerusalem striker turn and snap a shot which beat Ofek Melika after 37 seconds.
It took Maccabi 20 minutes to bounce back from the early goal before creating the first chance. A Noam Ben Harosh cross into the box was brought down by Ido Shahar whose attempt of a half volley cleared the crossbar. Three minutes later a Shahar square ball across the face of goal was cleared for a corner. Jerusalem’s defense failed to clear the resulting corner and Osher Davida floated a cross into the danger zone. Roy Revivo whose last goal for Maccabi was the winner in the State Cup Final last season rose above the hosts’ defense to nod in Davida’s cross and restore parity.
Four minutes after the half hour mark Dor Peretz exchanged passes to carve Jerusalem’s defense open and break into the box before picking Helio Varela. The Cape Verde winger was left unmarked in a glorious position to score but he blasted his right foot shot high over the crossbar. In the 38th minute Itamar Noy released Peretz through but as Maccabi’s captain charged towards goal, he was charged down by a Noam Melamoud challenge. In the 41st minute Davida tried his luck with a low drive from just outside the box which Nadav Zamir needed two attempts to catch. A foul on Varela near the corner of the area on 42 saw Levy award Maccabi a free kick. Revivo crossed the free kick which Peretz headed onto the crossbar before Ester Sokler pounced on the rebound but was fouled by Melamoud. Levy didn’t hesitate as he awarded Maccabi a penalty on the stroke of halftime. Peretz stepped up, sent Zamir the wrong way and successfully converted the spot kick to put Maccabi in front.
Second half:
Kenny Miller made no changes after the restart while his Jerusalem counterpart Lior Zada made two substitutions introducing Ilay Madmon and Ohad Almagor. Miller was preparing to make a double change of his own and add fresh pair of legs int the pitch, Varela had his own idea. Three minutes after the hour mark, Varela picked the ball on the edge of Maccabi’s penalty box and used his pace to charge for more than 80 meters. Varela then squared to Peretz who slid in to score his second and Maccabi’s third. The Cape Verde winger landed awkwardly and limped off as Miller made a triple substitution with Shahar and Sokler also coming off while Dan Glazer, Hisham Layous and Saied Abu Farchi all stepping in. In the 67th minute both substitutes combined as Jerusalem’s defense failed to clear the danger before Layous dribbled into the box and cut the ball for Abu Farchi who clipped it over Zamir to score the fourth. Maccabi’s blitz continued in the 71st minute as Davida found Ben Harosh deep inside Jerusalem’s box before the right back picked Peretz who slotted in the fifth to complete the first hattrick of his career. Raz Shlomo made way for Ali Camara and four minutes later Peretz was given a standing ovation as he was replaced by Ilay Ben Simon.
Maccabi’s celebrations were dampened on 76 as Melika charged out of his penalty area before fouling Jerusalem’s Nadim Warasna who was clear through. Levy reached out to his back pocket to show Melika the red card and leave Maccabi with 10 with the young keeper set to miss next week’s league match against Maccabi Haifa. As Miller completed his five substitutions, Abu Farchi volunteered and put on the pink jersey to go in goal for the closing stages. With every touch he made, Abu Farchi was cheered by the 2800 traveling fans. But inside injury time, the young forward’s attempt of keeping a clean sheet, were deemed unsuccessful. Jerusalem cut the deficit as Almagor curled in a free kick which proved too accurate and powerful for Abu Farchi to save. Levy’s full-time whistle saw Macabi celebrate the three points as attention now turns to Thursday’s Conference League Playoff return leg against Lugano in Batumi before returning to face Maccabi Haifa next Monday.
