The Under-19 pacesetters duel between Maccabi Tel Aviv and Beitar Tubruk ended in match of few opportunities and no goals at all
With the wind of four consecutive league victories in their sails, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar" set off on Saturday for Netanya to face fellow National Under-19 Premier League pacesetters Beitar Tubruk. In the event, Maccabi's Under-19s were treated to an unseasonably hot day on a synthetic pitch and a stubborn opponent that made them struggle to carve out any credible threats in front of the opposition goal. And in fact it was the hosts who created the first real danger, with a free kick by Tubruk's Iyad Abu Abid that hit the post of Maccabi keeper Sahar Hason's goal. Meanwhile every "Shachar" attempt to penetrate the Tubruk area and conjure up a chance on goal met with the erstwhile resistance of the Tubruk defence. At the other end Tubruk's Cabrerra and Nesikovski both tried to surprise Hason with shots from outside the area, but at halftime the goalless stalemate was still intact.
The start of the second half saw more of the same, with neither goalkeeper, besides the heat, having to work up much of a sweat. Only after 72 minutes of play was Maccabi striker Dor Jan able to break the defensive pattern when he fancied his luck with a shot from inside the Tubruk area, but keeper Mahadi Zoavi was at the ready. But the effort did kick-start a flurry of attacking activity that saw head coach Ziv Arie's charges press forward until the end of the match, starting moments after Jan's shot with two efforts by striker Yonatan Cohen that resulted in corners. One found midfielder Daniel Gretz but his close-range header went over. In the second, Cohen tried a more direct approach to the goal, but Zoavi palmed away his corner kick at the very last minute. The match ended with a dangerous cross by Dor Jan but Zoavi managed to get a leg to it, leaving Tel Aviv "Shachar" with their first goalless draw of the season.
Next week, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar" will attempt to return to their winning ways when they host their Under-19 counterparts from Ashdod FC at the Kiryat Shalom training ground.
