Maccabi Tel Aviv’s youth team registered their second draw in succession in the youth Premier League on Saturday after a 1-1 result away to Hapoel Ramat Gan. That followed the 2-2 home draw on the opening day of the season a week earlier, at home to Hapoel Beersheba.
Coach Eliezer Ben Aharon made one change to the previous Saturday’s opening lineup by introducing Nadav Nidam in attack in place of Rotem Yatzker, a change that was to prove vital.
Maccabi were all dominant from the start and had at least three good chances to take the lead before Nidam put the visitors into the lead in the 27th minute when he latched onto a pass from Omri Ram and shot diagonally into the back of the net from close range.
Ramat Gan almost managed to equalise four minutes later when a shot by Chauncy Freeman rebounded off the crossbar, and in the 38th, Maccabi were left ruing another missed opportunity when Shaked Navon narrowly missed the target.
The second half was still very much dominated by the visitors, who had at least three more good chances to find the net, but their misses cost them the three points when Freeman equalised in the 89th minute against the run of play with a well taken header.
Maccabi’s lineup: Or Yitzhak; Guy Mizrahi, Dan Lugasi, Omer Yitzhaki, Shahar Rosen; Niv Berkovitz, Shai Balahsan (Or Reisman, 57), Nadav Nidam (Afek Sapir Navot, 65); Raveh Assayag (Tal Turgeman, 74) Shaked Navon (Fafara Guyagon, 46), Omri Ram.
