Maccabi advanced to the "Toto" Cup semi-finals with a 0-8 aggregate win over Hapoel Petach Tikva. Ben Reichert scored his first team goal on his maiden appearance

At Maccabi Tel Aviv it was all smiles after advancing to the semi-finals of the "Toto" (League) Cup last night and today preparations will get underway for the team's first home league encounter against Hapoel Ra'anana on Sunday night. Young international midfielder Ben Reichert, who made his maiden appearance for the club last night and also scored his first goal in Maccabi kit, had this to say after last night's match: "I went through a very tough period in my life and paid dearly for it but so far I'm concerned that's all been put aside now. I'm happy so many fans applauded me because now I'm a Maccabi Tel Aviv player and I'll do everything for this club. Any chance I get I'll be working hard, at every practice and every match. At Maccabi they're all top players but there's only room for eleven of us on the pitch so we're all fighting for our places. Whoever plays well gets the nod".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRU0IM3pk_U&list=UU-oWQqnf8B8a_TsmVi0mTUg

Defensive summer signing Yuval Shpungin, who played the full 90 minutes last night, added: "Not every match ends 6-0, what's most important is that we improve and work on things we do in training. There's a lot of positive tension and the guys who perform best will wind up playing. I'm just working hard to prove myself and whenever I get the chance I'll be out there trying to do my very best. We've still got a lot of work to do in order to improve but we're moving in the right direction".