Maccabi Tel Aviv FC are today deeply saddened by the death of Haim Levin one of the greatest goalkeepers in the club’s and Israel’s history. Levin was Maccabi’s goalkeeper for nine seasons during the 60’s and was regarded as one of the best in Israel’s footballing history.

After short spells at Hapoel Petah Tikva, Hapoel Hadera, Hapoel Kfar Sava and Maccabi Haifa, Levin, joined Maccabi in the summer of 1960.

Levin faced a battle to fill the gloves of another former legend, Avraham Bendori, but in his third season at the club made the number jersey his own.

In the 1963/64 season, Levin won his first title at Maccabi winning the State Cup after a victory in the replayed final against Hapoel Haifa. The following season, Levin helped Maccabi win the State Cup once again with a fine display in the 2-1 victory over Bnei Yehuda. Levin added another Cup to his trophy cabinet in the 1966/67 season before playing his part in Maccabi’s 11^th championship in the club’s history.

In 1969, Levin kept a clean sheet for 120 minutes against South Korean side Yangzee FC in the Final of the Asian Champion Club Tournament which was held in Bangkok, Thailand. Dror Bar Nur’s winning goal helped Maccabi and Levin win a first international trophy.

Internationally, Levin, won 22 caps for Israel and was the first-choice goalkeeper during the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico.

Dor Turgeman scored his 8th league goal against Hapoel Haifa and 11th in all competitions this season as the forward helped Maccabi to a 4-0 victory at Bloomfield. Turgeman, who stood in for the suspended Eran Zahavi said at the end of the game: “We are delighted with the three points and are already looking at the next game. The goal was important but the clean sheet we kept is just as important for us” Turgeman said.

“I am delighted with the chance I received and I am happy that I managed to score” he said, “Eran and I speak a lot and I am earning loads from him. Before the game he told me: ‘Go do what you know and I am happy it happened.”

Turgeman, who made his 45th appearance for Maccabi in all competitions this season, said of the competition for places: “Obviously I’d like to play more and be on the pitch all the time, but the coach ultimately decides. Every time I will get a chance I will always give everything on the pitch and I am happy it worked today.”

Preview

Maccabi returned to Bloomfield stadium for the MD29 ONE ZERO League match against Hapoel Haifa aiming to return to winning ways. Robbie Keane’s side that suffered a 1-0 defeat away to Hapoel Be’ersheva on the back of the 1-1 draw against Maccabi Haifa, have a seven-point-lead at the top of the table.

Injuries and suspensions forced Keane to make at least two changes as Joris van Overeem is still recovering from an operation on his knee. Eran Zahavi was also absent for serving a one-match-touchline ban after picking his fifth booking this season against Be’ersheva. Raz Shlomo and Enric Saborit kept their places at the heart of defense in front of goalkeeper Roi Mishpati. Roy Revivo returned to the side at right-back with Ofir Davidzada completing Maccabi’s back-four on the left. Eden Karzev continued in the midfield engine room alongside Gabi Kanichowsky with Dor Peretz completing the trio this time with the captain’s armband. Felicio Milson and Osher Davida on the left and right respectively supplied the width to Maccabi’s formation. Dor Turgeman, started upfront as the 20-year-old forward keen to impress and add to his tally of 7 league goals and 10 in all competitions this season.

On the bench Keane named goalkeeper Daniel Tenenbaum, Avishay Cohen, Idan Nachmias, Dan Biton, Yonatan Cohen, Yonas Malede, Eyal Golasa, Matan Baltaxa and Ido Shahar.

First Half

Boosted by an almost full house on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Bloomfield, Maccabi began the match on the front foot. With less than three minutes on the clock Enric Saborit released Felicio Milson down the left flank before his cut back found Dor Peretz whose shot sailed high over the crossbar. Two minutes later Haifa’s defense failed to clear a Karzev cross before the Angolan winger was quick to react and squeezed the ball between Yoav Gerafi and the near post to open the score.

Maccabi’s blitz continued in the ninth minute as Dor Turgeman doubled the score at the end of a spectacular team effort. Milson was in the thick of things once again as he exchanged passes with Davidzada to release Gabi Kanichowsky whose pinpoint cross was headed into the top corner by Turgeman to double the score.

After the second goal Maccabi seemed to have taken their foot off the pedal allowing the visitors to get back in the game. Guy Melamed had a couple of efforts blocked by Saborit and Kanichowsky while Bar Lin blasted a shot high over the crossbar. Referee Erez Pappir waived Osher Davida’s claims for a penalty before the halftime whistle sent both teams to regroup in the dressing rooms.

Second Half

Keane made no changes after the interval, while his Haifa counterpart Roni Levy made a double change as he introduced Oren Biton and Liran Sardal for Yinon Eliyahu and Filipe Santos. But five minutes after the restart, Kanichowsky’s pressure on Haifa’s defense saw the diminutive intercept a Dor Malul pass and with only the keeper to beat slotted the ball home to score Maccabi’s third and his seventh league goal of the season.

Just like the first half, Maccabi continued their blitz as they scored another within four minutes. Karzev chested the ball down on the edge of the box and fired a volley which proved too powerful for Gerafi to hold onto. Saborit pounced on the loose ball and cut it back for Peretz who side footed home. The linesman raised his flag for offside, but VAR intervened and allowed the goal to count as Maccabi were 4-0 up after 55 minutes.

Keane made a triple substitution two minutes after the hour mark as Saborit, Peretz and Milson all bowed out to a standing ovation as they were replaced by Matan Baltaxa, Ido Shahar and Yonas Malede.

Shahar could have made an immediate impact as he was gifted the ball by Haifa’s defense to find himself right in front of Gerafi, but the midfielder rushed his shot and sent it wide. Dan Biton replaced Osher Davida in the 66th minute and got involved in the action almost instantly as he released Kanichowsky whose square ball found Turgeman. With Gerafi caught in no man’s land, Turgeman had the goal at his mercy as his slid to send the ball towards goal only to see it rolling agonizingly wide

Mishpati made his first save of the game in the 70th minute as he charged off his line to block with his feet Itay Buganim’s effort. In the 80th minute Kanichowsky received his standing ovation by the majority of the 23,221 fans as he was replaced by Eyal Golasa for the closing stages.

Biton tried curling a left foot shot from the edge of the area which Gerafi managed to claw out and deny the midfielder from joining in the goal fest on 83. The full-time whistle confirmed Maccabi’s victory with attention now turned to Saturday’s match against Bnei Reineh.

Eden Karzev joined Maccabi in the January transfer window on loan from Turkish outfit Basaksehir but to wait for his chance in a midfield that led the team to the top of the table. The 24-year-old who stepped into the anchorman role which was vacated following the injury of Joris van Overeem, said: “I am delighted to have been given this chance and have been waiting for a long time. Sadly, I didn’t want it to happen in these circumstances with Joris suffering an injury, but I worked hard all this time and will continue working hard to justify my place.” Karzev, who earlier this week couldn’t help Maccabi avoid defeat away to Hapoel Be’ersheva, added: “I tried giving everything at Turner and maybe I am not 100% match fit or maybe not at 100% of my ability, but I think that overall I had a good game yet my expectations from myself are a lot higher. This is something I expect to improve on a game-by-game basis.”

On the title race that currently keeps Maccabi with a seven-point-lead at the top of the table, Karzev added: “We have our final target, there is a way in which we work every day and stick by it. At the end of the day no one will remember whether we won the league title by one point or 25. All they remember is that you have the championship plate or you don’t. I believe in our way.”

Karzev, who is experiencing his second tenure at Maccabi, summed up: “In the end, everyone tries to bring his abilities onto the pitch and help the team in his own way. Each player tries to reach a 100% of his ability and give everything he has in every possible aspect. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn’t. We have a very good and healthy team here as I believe that we will meet our targets. Hapoel Haifa are a good attacking side that are fun to play against. I am confident we will be fully prepared to play this match.”

Over the years Maccabi met Hapoel Haifa in the league for 127 matches of which they won 61, lost 30 while 36 matches ended in a draw. The overall goal tally currently stands on 203-118.

Of the matches Maccabi hosted Hapoel Haifa at Bloomfield they won 21, lost 5 while 7 were drawn.

Maccabi holds an existing run of 9 victories in the nine last matches it hosted Hapoel Haifa at Bloomfield. This is the second longest existing run Macabi has at Bloomfield, second only to the 11 victories recorded against Bnei Sakhnin between 2008-2021).

Maccabi also has a 15-match-long unbeaten run against Hapoel Haifa (11 victories and 4 draws) – the longest unbeaten run, in meetings between the two sides. This is Maccabi’s 8^th longest run in the history against any league opponent. Maccabi’s longest unbeaten league run is against Hapoel Tel Aviv and currently stands on 22 matches.

Maccabi faced Hapoel Haifa in the top Playoffs in 2001, 2018 and 2020 with the record currently stands on 3 wins, a draw, and a defeat.

Of the 93 players who scored for Maccabi against Hapoel Haifa, Rafi Levy leads the scorers chart with 10 goals. Shiye Glazer and Avi Nimni are both sharing second place with 9 goals to their name, while Eran Zahavi is third with 8 goals against Hapoel Haifa in the league.

Miko Belo made the most league appearances (33) against Hapoel Haifa with Zvika Rosen and Rachamim Talbi both made 23 each. Sheran Yeini made 21 league appearances against Hapoel Haifa and is ranked fourth.

Fifty players featured for both sides over the course of history. From the current Maccabi squad Dor Peretz and Ido Shahar had loan spells at the Haifa club.

As a coach, Roni Levy guided teams against Maccabi on 36 league matches winning 8, drawing 11 and losing 17.

In recent years, the world of virtual reality has gained momentum with tech giants such as Apple, Sony and META recognizing its immense market potential. As a result, they’ve begun developing VR glasses for widespread use, aiming to make them a household staple in the near future.

Maccabi is now making its mark in the VR world with the launch of the MaccabiVerse application, which has been in the works for over two years. The project is a collaboration between the club and DIVO, a company which specializes in the world of VR. This makes Maccabi one of the first sports clubs in the world, and the first in Israel, to create a dedicated virtual reality application from the ground up. The app enhances fan engagement with Maccabi and offers new possibilities for business and commercial development.

The MaccabiVerse app is free and offers every fan who owns VR glasses access to an immersive world full of never-before-seen content. Currently optimized for use with Meta Quest glasses, MaccabiVerse will soon extend its support to a range of leading VR glasses available on the market. You can download the app from the META app store (free of charge, of course).

So, what can you do at MaccabiVerse? Prepare to explore a whole virtual world, divided into multiple spaces filled with Maccabi’s yellow and blue. Experience the thrill of 360-degree videos showcasing games, goals, training sessions, and much more – an experience you’ll only truly understand once you’ve tried it. Lift the club’s historical trophies, spanning from the 1920s to the present day, and even purchase virtual versions of the official club kit in the virtual official club store. But wait, there’s more: you wouldn’t want to miss the fan zone at Bloomfield Stadium, replicated for an authentic experience. Here, you can spend time with fellow fans, play with them on the pitch, take selfies, and in the future, enjoy virtual fan-player meetups and much more.

The MaccabiVerse application was officially launched this morning (Thursday) in a festive event at Bloomfield Stadium, attended by dozens of technologists, influencers, and sports figures who where the first to explore the initiative.

Ben Mansford, CEO of Maccabi, said at the event: “Maccabi Tel Aviv is a club that’s always striving to be at the forefront, not just on the pitch but also in terms of technological innovation. We’re really seeing the VR world’s potential for phenomenal growth in the last couple of years. I’ll admit, as someone not particularly tech-savvy, I didn’t quite get the hype when I first got my VR glasses. But, once I tried them on and got a first-hand experience, it all clicked for me. It felt like stepping into a whole other world, a parallel reality that offers a completely different experience”.

“Over the years, it’s become clear that football fans engage with the game in various ways, whether they’re in the stadium or through new technologies. I see VR as yet another platform to connect with the fans. In just a few minutes, you’ll get a glimpse of how this technology brings together Israel’s leading football club and the game we all love so much”.

Tal Dotan, founder of Divo, said at the event: “After intensive planning and development, I’m delighted to unveil the application, which involved dedicated efforts from various departments at Maccabi Tel Aviv. The club enabled Divo access to every aspect, from the stadium and training ground to the team’s international trips, dressing rooms, and exclusive game photography, capturing angles and moments unseen by fans before. We aim to create an extraordinary experience for Maccabi Tel Aviv’s great fanbase for a deeper connection between the team and its supporters in Israel and around the world. I’m happy and excited for the public to experience the application and encourage fans to contact us and share their feedback so that we can improve MaccabiVerse to deliver the most empowering experience possible.