Maccabi Tel Aviv returned to action on Saturday and continued from where they left off at the end of February with another solid performance in the 2-0 win over Hapoel Haifa as the playoff phase of the league got underway at Bloomfield.
Clean sheet record
Maccabi have already written several records this season and Saturday’s showing provided more data for the statisticians, as goalkeeper Daniel Tenenbaum and his teammates kept a 22nd clean sheet, the most ever for a club in a single season. It is one more than the old mark which was shared by Maccabi (set last season) and by Kiryat Shmona in 2012.
The new record is even more remarkable, having been achieved after only 27 matches, and with nine more to go, there is scope to increase the mark significantly.
Saturday’s result was the fourth consecutive clean sheet. The last time coach Vladimir Ivic’s team conceded a goal was in the 1-1 draw with Hapoel Haifa at Sammy Ofer Stadium on February 8.
Biggest lead from second place
Following Saturday’s other upper playoff results in which second-placed Maccabi Haifa lost 2-1 at home to Hapoel Tel Aviv and Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Beersheba drew 1-1, Maccabi have increased their lead at the top of the standings to nine-points. Maccabi Haifa have looked to be the only other realistic challengers for the title but with the gap at its biggest so far and only nine matches to go, the defending champions look well placed to retain their crown.
Maccabi’s free kicks
Matan Hozez, who was voted the “Factory 54 Man of the Match,” scored the opening goal of Saturday’s fixture. It was his first strike of the season. The goal came from a free kick in which he curled a left-footed shot from just outside the area around the Haifa wall and into the back of the net.
Maccabi have scored five times from direct free kicks this season, half the total number of such goals scored in the league in this campaign. The other five goals from direct free kicks have been shared evenly by five clubs.
For Maccabi, those five set-piece goals in one season also equals a club record set in 1983-84 and with nine matches to go, this is another record that could well fall.
Maccabi’s second goal was scored by Itay Shechter who has increased his season’s league tally to five. He took advantage of Enric Saborit’s assist, which was a third for the Spaniard this season.
Another landmark of note on Saturday was the return of Dor Peretz, who came on as substitute in the second half. The midfielder had been sidelined due to injury, he last played in the match against Hapoel Hadera in October.
