The Yellow & Blue are back in the Europa League Group Stages once again thanks to goals by Vidar Kjartansson and Captain Sheran Yeini and last week’s away goal in Austria to cancel out Altach’s pair of strikes to draw 2:2 at home, 3:2 on aggregate. The group stage draw will take place tomorrow in Monaco at 14:00.
Head Coach Jordi Cruyff’s Starting XI included keeper Predrag Rajikovic with defenders Yuval Shpungin, Tal Ben Haim, Eitan Tibi and Ofir Davidzada. Captain Sheran Yeini anchored the midfield with Dor Micha and Cristian Battocchio while Avi Rikan, Aaron Schoenfeld and Vidar Kjartansson were on the attack.
Available on the bench were keeper Daniel Tenenbaum, Omer Atzili, Barak Itzhaki, Sagiv Yehezkel, Egor Filipenka, Tino-Sven Susic and Dor Peretz.
First Half
Vidar looked to give Maccabi a quick lead in the ‘2 minute but his attempt at the top of the box flew over the goal while six minutes later Battocchio’s smart opportunity in the box just skipped wide of the left post. With the Yellow & Blue controlling the majority of the play, it would be Altach who would score first as Hannes Aigner picked off a Davidzada backpass to Tibi and put the ball behind Rajikovic for a 1:0 lead in the ‘20.
As the clock hit ‘24 Maccabi looked to even the score as Davidzada found Schoenfeld from in close but the American-Israeli forward just missed the Austrian goal. In the ’28 Schoenfeld was again in the mix as he picked up a loose ball in the box and tried a bicycle kick but the Altach keeper Kobras made an acrobatic save. Maccabi would have the next chance when Davidzada sent a wicked cross into the box to a waiting Vidar who headed it just wide over the target in the ‘40.
With Maccabi looking for the equalizer they would find exactly that in the ‘41 when Micha sent a ball to Schoenfeld in the box who dropped it to the grass as Vidar pounced on it to draw Maccabi even 1:1 (2:1 Maccabi on aggregate).
Second Half
The Austrian’s looked to retake the advantage but Nutz’s 20-meter scorcher in the ‘55 just missed wide right of the goal. However, Altach’s next chance did give them the 2:1 lead as Philip Netzer slammed the ball home from in close in the ‘58. Cruyff would make his first substitute of the contest as he introduced Omer Atzili for Shpungin and followed that up by bringing on Tino-Sven Susic for Rikan as Maccabi looked to find the elusive tying goal.
And the Captain Sheran Yeini would find that strike as Atzili’s corner went into the box where number 13 took the loose ball and put it home to draw even at 2:2, 3:2 Maccabi on aggregate in the ‘73. Three minutes later Susic almost gave the Yellow & Blue another goal but the keeper made the stop.
In the ‘83 Ngamaleu went down the right wing and sent a dangerous ball into the box but Rajikovic grabbed it to end the threat. Egor Filipenka came on in the ‘85 for Micha as Maccabi tried to salt away the contest. Vidar attempted to do that in the ‘87 when Schoenfeld out the ball down for Vidar but the Icelander’s tough angled attempt went off the outside of the goal.
The referee added 4 minutes of time but Maccabi controlled the pace as they advanced to the Europa League Group Stages!
