Dor Micha, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s midfielder looked back at the 2:1 Israel State Cup Semifinal victory against Beitar Jerusalem at Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa. Number 15 spoke about scoring a goal, the title race and focusing on the Cup:
“I think that after the match in Turner against Beer Sheva we knew that the chances in the league diminished a bit and we wanted to really focus on the Cup. This was also a game where there was no looking back. We put in a tremendous amount of energy and I think that this was one our best games recently,”
Replacing the injured Barak Itzhaki at the break:
“We have a great relationship for many years now that’s unrelated to the goal itself. He even told me at halftime that I would score and he really encouraged me after he came out injured. I hope that he can come back as soon as possible because we really need him.”
Refocusing on the Cup after the loss to Beer Sheva:
“It’s behind us already and we didn’t play well against Beer Sheva. We had played well for a while before the match and you can say that we didn’t do well in the match itself but we have already put it aside and are looking at the goals that we have ahead for ourselves.”
The title race going forward:
“I think we have to keep fighting for the league title and we have an obligation to do so for the Club and for the fans. We have to win all of the matches remaining in the season and we know that it’s not in our hands but we will do the maximum and pressure Beer Sheva as much as we can.”
The Coach and Sports Director’s relationship:
“There wasn’t anything extraordinary that happened over the last few days because the relationship between the coach and Jordi is fine and the situation on the bench is just as it was when he signed with the team. When we won no one discussed it but when we lost everyone looked at it. The relationship is fine and from our point of view everything is ok.”
Importance of the match:
“I don’t think we needed any encouragement coming into this match as we all knew the importance of it. We had to give it all no matter what we had just gone through. Maccabi Tel Aviv has always said that there is an emphasis placed on winning the league and the State Cup and right now we definitely are in the picture for the Cup. In regards to the league we will fight until the end and hope to win it all.”
On scoring:
“It was a lot of fun to score and I haven’t in a while so scoring an important goal in the State Cup Semifinal was very rewarding.”
