Maccabi Tel Aviv suffered it’s first defeat of the 2019/20 on the final day of the season losing 2-0 to Hapoel Be’ersheva in Ashdod. Two second half goals from Kayes Ganem (2) and Oren Biton (26) inflicted the damage as Vladimir Ivic’s side lost the unbeaten record they held on to in the league.
For his final match as Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Head Coach, Vladimir Ivic, welcomed back into the squad three of his players who were forced to go into isolation due to Covid19. Eitan Tibi and Avi Rikan, who missed Saturday’s match against Maccabi Haifa, returned to the starting line-up at the heart of the defence and in midfield respectively.
Eyal Golasa was named amongst the substitutes as was Enric Saborit, scorer of the winning goal against Haifa, making way for Ofir Davidzada at left back. Itay Schechter replaced Nick Blackman upfront to line-up alongside Eylon Almog and lead Ivic’s attack as he aimed to emulate the 4-0 victory over Hapoel Be’ersheva on the final day of last season. Or at least maintain his unbeaten record in the league this season.
First Half
Two minutes from the start Be’ersheva took the lead through Kayes Ganem who reacted first to a save by Andreas Gianniotis to slot in the rebound from close range. Yonatan Cohen tested Be’ersheva’s keeper with a long range effort two minutes later which Ohad Levita collected with ease before Eylon Almog blasted a right foot shot high over the crossbar shortly after.
Avi Rikan limped off in the 21st minute and was replaced by Eyal Golasa as Ivic was forced to make his first change.
In the 25th minute Be’ersheva doubled their lead as Cohen lost possession to Oren Biton who charged forward and slotted a left foot shot under Gianniotis.
Right on the half hour mark, Ruslan Barsky blasted a right foot shot which threatened to beat Levita who recovered to tip the ball out for a corner which resulted with a Schechter heading over the bar.
Second Half
Nine minutes after the restart Eylon Almog had a shot deflected out for a corner before Schechter came agonizingly close to narrow the deficit from the resulting corner. But the veteran forward who pounced on the loose ball somehow managed to miscue his shot from close range and Beersheva’s defense cleared the danger.
Almog forced Levita to punch out a fierce shot on 66 before Ivic made a triple substitution within a minute as Saborit, Yeini and Blackman came in for Davidzada, Schahar Piven and Dor Peretz.
in the end of the match, Beersheva’s coach Yossi Abuksis who was the only coach to beat Ivic last season whilst in charge of Bnei Yehuda, kept his record once again. But that couldn’t blemish the Serbian’s supremacy in Israel over two years.
