Perhaps not the result Maccabi were hoping for, but the goalless draw against Hapoel Beer Sheva still proved to be one for the books. The numbers behind the match
So what's new?
Monday night was the first time this particular eleven opened a match for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Full house
For Hapoel Beer Sheva it's always a sell-out crowd at Bloomfield Stadium. On Monday 13,728 spectators were present, the highest number since the parallel fixture in matchweek 21 last season, when 13,995 fans watched the match.
Seeing yellow
For a team with the lowest average of yellow cards per match in the Israeli Premier League, Maccabi seem to have a weak spot where Hapoel Beer Sheva are concerned. This week three Maccabi players were cautioned and in the away fixture in September four.
Seeing Austin
Midfielder Eran Zahavi has only had two penalties saved since joining Maccabi in January 2013, both by Hapoel Beer Sheva's Nigerian goalkeeper Austin Ejide.
Long time, no see
This is the first time in twenty-four encounters that Maccabi have failed to score against Hapoel Beer Sheva.
Long time, just one see
In fact it's been almost a decade since a match between Maccabi and Hapoel Beer Sheva ended in a goalless draw. And the only player left on their squad who would remember is their 31 year-old defender Evyatar Iluz.
Enough is enough
Where that's concerned, the last two years Maccabi have played out only two goalless draws in domestic play each season. If this trend continues, taking into account the 0-0 result against Maccabi Netanya in the "Toto" Cup in August, Maccabi should now have filled their season 2014/15 quota.
Enough is a feast
Anyway, the last time Maccabi started the New Year with a goalless draw was two years ago against Ironi Kiryat Shmona. Remember, the 2012/13 Championship season? As a matter of record, in the past decade Maccabi have only actually won their first match of the New Year three times.
None is a feast
Maccabi are the only club who have yet to concede in the second round of Israeli Premier League matches.
The master chef
Out of his 65 appearances in the Maccabi net, goalkeeper Juan Pablo has already kept 31 clean sheets, a success rate of over 47%.
And coming up . . .
Eight is great
If Maccabi win or draw their upcoming tie against Maccabi Haifa, it will be the eighth consecutive time in all competitions that Maccabi Tel Aviv haven't lost to their northern namesakes. The last time this occurred it took eight years of league encounters between 1973 and 1981.
Old friends
If Maccabi Haifa and former West Ham United star Yossi Benayoun plays in Sunday night's encounter, it will be the sixth time he and Maccabi and former Liverpool coach Pako Ayesteran will go head to head. In five of those encounters Pako emerged victorious, including the FA Cup final in 2006. Later both men found themselves on the same side at Liverpool, but only for three months until the Spaniard left Anfield in October 2007.
