Category: A week ago

Colautti: “I’m very thankful for the career that I had”

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Former Maccabi Tel Aviv striker Roberto Colautti recently retired and settled in Düsseldorf, Germany after an illustrious playing career that saw him score over 100 goals in Israel, Argentina, Germany and Cyprus between the years of 2000-2015. Colautti appeared in 71 games for the Yellow-and-Blue scoring 20 goals between 2010-3013 before heading off to finish his career in Cyprus at Anorthosis and AEK Larnaca. The Israeli International had a chance to sit down and speak with the club’s Official Website about his playing career, Maccabi Tel Aviv, youth development in Israel as well as the upcoming Israel National Team matches:

You’re recently retired from the game of football:

“I retired on my birthday. It was not an easy decision but on the other hand with everything I had been though it was a natural process. Every player has his time and MTA__1341246283_דרבי121I was nearing my end. How much more could I push myself to continue. My battery was done and I said enough. I’m happy and I’m very thankful for the career that I had.”

Have you been following Maccabi:

“Of course, I do all the time. It was a bit harder in Cyprus, but I was able to keep tabs on them and I’m in touch with some of the players.”

You played with Maccabi when changes started to occur under owner Mitch Goldhar:

“It’s terrific to see what’s going on. It’s an amazing accomplishment when you begin with something at zero and you reach a goal. There’s nothing better than that and Maccabi Tel Aviv did it. No one believed that it could be done but when one person came along with a goal in sight and clear focus he was able to do it, and look where they are now.”

On the current edition Maccabi Tel Aviv:

“In the Champions League you play against the best teams in the world. But now there is nothing more that Maccabi can do. They have achieved the most out of what they have. If they want to be one of the top teams and really be considered one of the best clubs in Europe they have to do some totally different things. They may need more than five foreign players, a bigger budget and also more investment in the youth department. However, they are really working on it now. There will be more of a connection between the first team and the youth clubs and you will see some of the differences in 3-5 years from now.”

Thoughts on the current state of Israeli football:

“I always thought that the youth clubs are very important. A lot more needs to be MTA__1340039919_Hug_Colautiinvested into the youth. If you bring in people that understand the youth and know how to train and to totally upgrade the system you could see a huge difference in 4-6 years. I’m talking about all of the clubs here, where they should invest more in their youth system than the first team. This is the only way to advance and improve the level of the league.”

On his greatest moment in Maccabi Tel Aviv:

“It’s hard for me to just pick out one match as I had a couple of years that were totally catastrophic but then I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. I saw it, but I wasn’t there. Now is when the light is shining bright. Sure, there was a goal against Olympiakos, but for me it was seeing the transformation of the club.”

The Maccabi fans will always remember your time with the club:

“I really want to thank the Maccabi supporters so much. I learnt a lot during my time with the club and I’m even happier to know that the supporters still remember me. That really makes me happy.”

Would you come back to play:MTA__1340367967_collauti

“I really don’t think so. I’m happy to be with my family and watch football on TV or at a stadium and of course to say hi.”

The Israel National Team plays Cyprus and Belgium this coming week:

“You have to be optimistic but it won’t be easy. I’m hoping for the best but remember I was part of the National Team so I know what it’s like, it’s not going to be easy. But for sure when Maccabi has 9 players on the team it shows you that things are being done correctly at the club. I wish everyone much success going forward.”

made in France: Maccabi defeated Bordeaux

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Two years ago this week, the Yellow-and-Blue made history in Europe at the Stade Chaban-Delmas when Maccabi faced French side Bordeaux FC in the Europa League. After drawing 0:0 against APOEL Nicosia, Paula Sousa and his players came to France to play in one of the toughest home stadiums where they were able to turnaround a deficit and pick up their first win in the Europa League.

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Maccabi began the match with a wave of attacks by Eran Zahavi, Rada Prica, Barak Itzhaki and Omri Altman as they continuously threatened Bordeaux ‘keeper Kevin Olimpa but came up empty each time. It took some time for the hosts to get into the game but they did as well when Diego Rolan and Maxime Poundje had chances on Maccabi’s ‘keeper Juan Pablo who was up to the task to keep the first half scoreless.

The second half began on the wrong foot for Maccabi as the now Maccabi Haifa player Ludovic Obraniak led the way for Bordeaux to take a 1:0 lead on a goal that was headed in by the Brazilian Jussie. However, Maccabi began to turn up the offense looking for the equalizer that would finally come in the 71st minute when MTA__1381050073__IR_0286Zahavi sent a deep ball to Prica who passed it to Itzhaki on the right. Number 10 knew exactly what to do and scored an easy goal putting the ball behind Olimpa and draw the Yellow-and-Blue even.

Just eight minutes later history was made in France. Prica sent the ball to a streaking Dor Micha who had come on for Mahran Radi in the 65th minute as Micha would use the outside part of his boot to put the ball into the Bordeaux goal and give Maccabi a 2:1 lead that they would not relinquish at the Stade Chaban-Delmas for their historic win.

Past encounters against Dynamo Kiev

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The Champions League returns to Israel. After a long absence of Israeli representatives in this illustrious competition, Maccabi Tel Aviv hosts Dynamo Kiev this evening at 21:45 on Matchday Two of the Champions League Group Stages. All the fans know what’s in store this evening, so let’s take a look back into the recent past and revisit the last time these two clubs played each other.

In 2011/12 Maccabi Tel Aviv participated in the Europa League Group Stages and were drawn to play the Ukrainian side. The first match was held at Bloomfield Stadium in MTA__1340061594_Maccabi_Tlv-Dinamo_Kiev065Israel and Moti Ivanir was the coach of a team that featured some current Yellow-and-Blue players including, Yoav Ziv, Gal Alberman, Barak Itzhaki and Dor Micha who scored the tying goal as a substitute at the end of the first half. Micha’s goal wiped out Kiev’s early lead on a 9th minute strike by Ideye Brown putting the visitors on the scoreboard first.

The match ended in a 1:1 draw leaving all the players and fans thirsting for another tight encounter between the clubs and that’s exactly what we got on the final Matchday when Maccabi visited Kiev with a different coach on the sidelines, Nir Levin from the Yellow-and-Blue Youth Department.

Levin would coach his first game in Europe and it was one that will go down in the record books as a match that will never be forgotten with so many goals and momentum swings. Just like the previous game, Kiev struck first on an own goal by Sheran Yeini. MTA__1340061446_Maccabi_Tlv-Dinamo_Kiev138Olexandr Aliyev’s free-kick was headed by Leandro Almeida towards the goal and was diverted into the bottom left-hand corner by the Maccabi captain at the last second to go ahead 1:0. The hosts would double their lead soon after when in the 17th minute Betao found Oleh Gusev deep down the left side with a long ball as the Kiev captain scored to put the home side up 2:0. Maccabi headed into halftime down by two but still with the hope that a comeback was in the cards.

In the 47th minute, Moshiko Lugassi’s fantastic pass sent Eliran Atar alone in on the goal, but the striker was pulled down by Leandro Almeida for a straight red card leaving Kiev with only 10-men. The ensuing free kick taken by Gal Alberman would rebound off the Kiev wall directly to Omer Vered who scored to cut the lead to 2:1. Just seven minutes later Dynamo lost another player to a red card when Yevhen Khacherid got tied up with Yeini and was shown red for his efforts reducing the already short-handed Kiev to 9-men.

MTA__1340061318_Maccabi_Tlv-Dinamo_Kiev175Eliran Atar would then draw Maccabi even six minutes later as he came off the left wing into the box and his shot would bounce right before ‘keeper Maxym Koval and into the goal to tie the game up at 2:2. As the match approached the 75th minute, substitute Monas Dabbur would give the guests a short lived 3:2 lead when he stole the ball from the Kiev defense and easily slotted home Maccabi’s third goal of the match. However, Gusev’s second goal of the game would draw the two sides even at 3:3.

In the closing minutes, Maccabi came close to registering the win but it wasn’t meant to be as both clubs are still deadlocked, at least until tonight at Sammy Ofer Stadium.