Preview
Maccabi arrived at Teddy stadium for the MD23 WINNER League encounter away to second place Beitar Jerusalem. Ronny Deila’s side that are currently fourth with 42 points, will try narrow the five-point gap they have from Beitar and move closer to runaway leaders Hapoel Be’ersheva. While Maccabi are on a run of three successive victories in all competitions since Deila took charge, beating Beitar at Teddy will be far from easy as the stadium will be full of the home fans due to Maccabi’s away fan ban. Memories of the 6-2 defeat from the previous match between the two sides in November at Bloomfield is still fresh in the memory of the players. But Deila and his staff will have to put that aside as they aim to drive Maccabi back into the title race.
Brazilian defender Heitor dos Santos completed his one-match-touchline ban and returned to the side as he partnered Raz Shlomo at the heart of defense. Tyrese Asante returned to the role of right-back with Roy Revivo completing Maccabi’s four-man defense in front of goalkeeper Ofek Melika.
Deila kept the same midfield that beat Bnei Reineh last week as Itamar Noy, Ido Shahar and Dor Peretz formed Maccabi’s engine room. Emir Sahiti who scored a brace against Reineh and three in his last two outings, kept his place on the wing. Osher Davida was named on the opposite flank as the 24-year-old will try and add to his tally of two league goals and five in all competitions this season.
Upfront, Saied Abu Farchi continued to hold his place as the 19-year-old who scored one and set up two more against Reineh, will aim to continue his form of three goals in the last three outings and 8 in all competitions this season.
First Half
A loud Teddy stadium packed with Beitar Jerusalem fans was the welcoming reception that Maccabi’s players received. Despite having no fans in the stands, Maccabi took the first initiative and came close to score as early as the sixth minute. Osher Davida received the ball deep inside Beitar’s half before cutting onto his left and unleashing a powerful shot that cleared the crossbar. Four minutes later Raz Shlomo went down and limped off with an injury as Ronny Deila was forced to make an early change by introducing Ali Camara.
In the 22nd minute Maccabi’s pressure on Beitar’s defense saw Ido Shahar win possession deep inside the hosts’ half. Shahar laid the ball off for Emir Sahiti whose cross found Dor Peretz inside the box. But the 30-year-old’s attempt of a side foot was easily collected by Beitar’s keeper Miguel Silva. Maccabi continued to look dangerous going forward through the channels as Davida won a corner a minute after the hour mark. Itamar Noy crossed the corner straight into the danger zone where Camara rose high yet sent his header over from close range. Ofek Melika made his first save in the 34th minute as Yarden Shuah released Adi Yona whose weak shot didn’t trouble the Maccabi keeper.
Seconds after the fourth official signalled five minutes of added time, Heitor dos Santos drilled a low powerful drive that forced Silva to push the ball out for a corner. Luka Gadrani’e foul on Saied Abu Farchi earned the Beitar defender a booking by referee Gal Leibovic who blew the halftime whistle shortly after.
Second Half
As no changes were made at halftime, both teams returned for the second half with the score still goalless. Three minutes in, a perfectly timed last gasp tackle by Heitor on Yarden Shuah denied the Beitar captain who was clear through. Two minutes later, a Maccabi counterattack ended with Abu Farchi sweeping the ball home. But the referee assistant raised his flag for offside and the goal was disallowed. Dor Peretz finished another counterattack on 51 with a well taken shot that beat Silva. But once again the flag was raised for offside and the goal was scratched off.
Yona came close twice in the space of five minutes as he first blasted his shot over the top before dragging a second effort wide of the target. Deila reacted with a double substitution on 59 as Kristijan Belic and Yonas Malede came on for Shahar and Davida. With their fans cheering them on, Beitar continued to press forward in attempt to break the deadlock, while Maccabi’s defense managed to hang on. In the 69th minute Deila made another double substitution as Issouf Sissokho and Sagiv Jehezkel came on for Noy and Sahiti.
A minute later a spectacular Melika save from a deflected Boris Enow long range shot kept Maccabi’s goal locked. Malede came close on 74 as he got on the end of a Peretz square ball but from a tight angle and unlike the match against Bnei Reineh, the striker sliced his effort wide of the post. Leibovic’s full-time whistle confirmed the spoils will be shared as Maccabi now turn attention to Saturday’s home match against Ashdod.
