Maccabi Tel Aviv as good as retained their championship crown at Bloomfield on Wednesday and showed themselves to be an immovable object at the top of the TASE Premier League following their 2-0 win over Maccabi Haifa that opened a 12-point gap over their closest rivals.
Goals in front of empty stands by Eyal Golasa in the 18th minute and Matan Hozez in the 86th did the damage and Maccabi were clearly the better team on the night as they put on a competent performance against a Haifa side who played hard but lacked any spark that might have made a difference to the score.
With eight matches remaining until the end of the season and 24 points still in the kitty, it is very hard to see any of Maccabi’s five rivals in the upper playoffs even denting their coast to the finish line.
Haifa fought hard but they did not have enough in the tank at any stage against their superior rivals. The deadlock was broken in the 18th minute when Yonatan Cohen broke free down the right byline and sent a ball that landed perfectly at Golasa’s feet at the far end of the area and he made no mistake with his shot from 10 metres out giving Haifa goalkeeper Josh Cohen no chance.
Haifa drove forward occasionally but only had one clear-cut chance and hesitated at crucial moments, giving Maccabi’s defensive unit enough time to clear any danger.
Midfielder Dan Glazer, always a stalwart in defence, was outstanding on the night and fought for every ball.
Most of the second half was an uncompromising tussle and there always appeared to be some hope for Haifa to steal an equaliser, but they were dealt a blow when Neta Lavi was sent off for a second yellow card in the 82nd minute. Any fears Maccabi had of relinquishing their lead were finally dispelled in the 86th minute when Omer Atzili sent a perfect through ball to Hozez, who made no mistake with his powerful shot from the right of the area.
Maccabi’s players celebrated the win at the end of the match and then climbed to the top of the grandstand to greet some supporters who had congregated outside the stadium.
