“It was a very good match between two teams that came to play football” Zahavi said after the game, “It was a very physical match. We were dominant in the first half but Maccabi fought hard and this stadium is not an easy place to play at. There aren’t many teams who came here and collected points. I believe that next week at Bloomfield will a serious battle and much more emotional”.

The 35-year-old who spent 3.5 successful years added: “It will be a lot tougher at Bloomfield. It will be a sell-out 30,000 fans supporting and I expect an extremely tough match. Playing at Bloomfield is always fun, especially in front of Maccabi’s fans. It will be a home game for me, but for the other players it will really be a volcano”.

After the final whistle, Zahavi, was seen chatting at length with Maccabi captain, Sheran Yeini, and when asked about what was said he answered with a smile: “We began the trash-talk already yesterday. You wouldn’t like to hear the voice messages that went as low as it gets. I hope he doesn’t let you hear them. I tried to get some information off him, but it didn’t work out in the end”.

Pregame

Maccabi arrived at the Philips stadium in Eindhoven for the Conference League Round of 32 first leg against PSV which is the second knockout phase match in as many years.

Maccabi’s coach Mladen Krstajic made two changes from the side that beat Hapoel in the Tel Aviv derby at the weekend as Matan Baltaxa slotted in on the left side of defence at the expense of Ofir Davidzada. Enric Saborit and Idan Nachmias lined up as the two central defenders in front of goalkeeper Daniel Peretz while Andre Geraldes completed the back-four at right back. Dan Glazer, at the anchorman role, led the team out wearing the captain’s armband with Eden Shamir alongside him in midfield engine room. Dan Biton who dished out two assists and Gabi Kanichowsky who scored a goal both kept their while Djorje Jovanovic who scored the injury time winner stepped in for Eylon Almog as Stipe Perica’s attacking partner.

First Half

The electeix atmosphere at the Philips stadium didn’t show any sign that only a third of the 35,000 capacity were allowed in. The hosts looked dominant right from the start while Maccabi tried adapting to the pace of PSV. The deadlock was broken 11 minutes from the start as Mauro Junior and Cody Gakpo exchanged passes down the left flank before the 22-year-old cut inside and sent a low shot that beat Daniel Peretz at the near post. Two minutes later Peretz pulled a stunning save to keep out Noni Madueke’s powerful close range header. While Maccabi tried to get in the game, PSV came close to double their lead only for Peretz to save another header this time from Erick Gutierrez. In the 26th minute Maccabi reached their best chance after Eden Shamir was fouled on the corner of the area before Dan Biton curled the free kick forcing Joel Drommel to push the ball out for a corner.

In the 37th minute Dan Glazer was booked by Swedish referee Glenn Nyberg following a tackle on the edge of the area on Noni Madueke. Eran Zahavi stepped up to take the free kick but his curled powerful shot narrowly missed the target.

Second Half

PSV continued to look dangerous going forward as Madueke snapped a shot from inside the area that struck the side netting on 53. Krstajic made his first changes in the 62nd minute as Sheran Yeini replaced Shamir in midfield while Brandley Kuwas came in for Djordje Jovanovic. 

The introduction of Kuwas revived Maccabi’s game as the Curaçao international broke into the area in the 69th minute but had his initial effort blocked before his attempt ofna cross was caught by the keeper. Zahavi flashed a shot that rolled across the face of Peretz’s goal in the 72nd minute. Maccabi’s coach made another double change a minute later as Glazer and Biton bowed out and were replaced by Eyal Golasa and Tal Ben Chaim.

In the 82nd minute, Matan Baltaxa broke into the area and was brought down by a PSV defender but his claims for a penalty were waved by the referee. Ofir Davidzada was introduced for Baltaxa on 87 replaced Baltaxa as the left back picked an injury in the closing stages. 

Just before the fourth official indicated three minutes of added time, PSV came close as a cross sailed across the face of Peretz’s goal but luckily couldn’t find anyone who could convert the ball home.

The 24-year old midfielder said after the match: “I wasn’t surprised by PSV as we came here to get a good result. A 1-0 defeat keeps everything wide open and leaves us with something to play for so with the support of our fans we could advance and I hope we do. We come to win every game even when we face clubs from the highest European levels. It is a relatively good result, but at home with our fans we should dare more”.

Ahead of next week’s return leg at Bloomfield, Kanichowsky said: “Obviously we belive we could o it and we will try and get a better result in Israel to advance through”.

The Conference League Round of 32 first leg against PSV Eindhoven will be Maccabi’s 160 match in European competitions – more than any other Israeli club.

Maccabi twice in the past advanced to a European knockout phase in the 2013/14 and the 2020/21 seasons. On both occasions Maccabi ended the group stage in 2^nd place to reach the round of 32.

In 2013/14 Maccabi faced Swiss outfit FC Basel and after a 0-0 draw at Bloomfield, were eliminated after suffering a 3-0 defeat at the St. Jakob Park stadium. Two players from the current squad participated in these matches: Sheran Yeini andTal Ben Chaim.

Last season Maccabi was drawn for a double headed tie against Shakhtar Donetsk as the Ukrainian side won 2-0 at Bloomfield and 1-0 in Kiev.

Maccabi played six matches against Dutch opponents and have a record of 3 victories, 2 defeats and 1 draw.

In the 2001/02 season Maccabi played against Roda JC Kerkrade in the 2^nd round of the UEFA Cup, suffered a 4-1 defeat in Holland and won 2-1 in Tel Aviv to lose 3-5 on aggregate.

In the 2004/05 season Maccabi played Ajax in the Champions League Group stage were beaten 3-0 at the Amsterdam Arena and won the return leg 2-1 at Ramat Gan’s national stadium.

Maccabi’s third Dutch opponents was AZ Alkmaar in the 2016/17 Europa League group phase. Maccabi beat AZ at the AFAS stadium in Alkmaar 2-1 before ending their match at Netanya in a 0-0 draw.

Eran Zahavi will not be the first Israeli to play against Maccabi in Europe but will be the first former player to do so as part of an international competition.

Manor Solomon started for Shakhtar Donetsk against Maccabi in both legs of the Europa League Round of 32 tie last season.

In the 2014/15 season, Sintayehu Sallallich made two substitute appearances for NK Maribor in the Champions League 3^rd Qualifying Round.