Preview

Four days after the 2-1 victory over Hapoel Haifa at Bloomfield, Maccabi arrived at Tuner stadium for the MD13 WINNER League match which will conclude the first league round. With his side two points adrift of Hapoel Be’ersheva in the table, Zarko Lazetic arrived at this top of the table clash as he is missing several players through suspension and injuries. Ido Shahar, who was sent off against Hapoel Haifa and fellow midfielders Issouf Sissokho and Kristijan Belic were all out for this match. In addition to players, Maccabi’s fans were also absent from Turner as they were serving a one-match ban following an IFA Disciplinary punishment.

Ofek Melika who started against Ashdod and Hapoel Haifa kept his place in goal. Ali Camara and Heitor dos Santos lined up as the two central defenders in front of Melika with Tyrese Asante on the right and Roy Revivo on the left completing Maccabi’s defensive line. Noam Ben Harush who completed 90 minutes against Ashdod and Haifa, was pushed into the midfield to join Itamar Noy in the engine room. Dor Peretz led the team out wit the captain’s armband as the 30-year-old who scored 7 league goals and is leading Maccabi’s scoring charts will aim to add to his tally. After scoring a dramatic late equalizer at Ashdod and the opener against Haifa, Saied Abu Farchi, will try continue his purple patch by finding the net at Turner as well. Osher Davida, who hasn’t scored since the 4-0 victory away to Hapoel Petah Tikva in mid September was named on the opposite flank. Ion Nicolaescu, led Maccabi’s attack as the 27-year-old Moldovan striker will also try end a barren run which has also been stretched since the 4-1 MD3 victory over Iroi Tiberias on September 13th.

On the bench alongside goalkeeper Roi Mishpati, Lazetic named Kervin Andrade, Sagiv Jehezkel, Raz Shlomo, Elad Madmon, Ben Lederman, Helio Varela, Itay Ben Hemo and Ilay Ben Simon.

First Half

A backdrop of 16,000 Be’ersheva fans who filled every corner of Turner Stadium didn’t phase Maccabi as they began the match on the front foot. In the opening minute Noam Ben Harush picked Osher Davida on the right flank before the winger cut inside and began a mazy run leaving three opponents behind him. Davida’s shot was ultimately blocked by a Be’ersheva defender for a corner which was then cleared. Two minutes later at the opposite end Ofek Melika’s attempt of a clearance reached Dan Biton who slipped it to Igor Zlatanovic whose effort saw Melika recover and save. Helder Lopez flashed a shot which rolled across the face of goal before Dan Biton forced Melika to palm away another powerful shot. In the 15th minute Lazetic was forced to make his first change as Ion Nicolaescu went down after a rough tackle by Djibril Diop as the Moldovan striker was replaced by Sagiv Jehezkel.

In the 23rd minute however Be’ersheva took the lead as Biton fed Zlatanovic who sent a powerful low drive that beat Melika at the bottom corner.

Maccabi continued to press in a bid to score an equalizer as in the 44th minute Dor Peretz released Saied Abu Farchi who burst into the box and from a tight angle sent a shot come cross that beat Niv Eliasi but rolled across the face of goal. A minute into the six of added the fourth official signaled for Jehezkel chested a ball down just outside the area and unleashed a powerful drop kick that beat Eliasi but narrowly missed the top corner.

Second Half:

Maccabi began the second half just like the first one with a good goalscoring opportunity. Jehezkel fed Revivo whose initial left foot shot was blocked before picking the rebound and sending a shot with his right which Eliasi parried for a corner.

In the 54th minute Itamar Noy dispossessed a Be’ersheva defender on the edge of the area before trying to break through. But Be’ersheva’s defense and their keeper Eliasi managed to block and clear. Just before the hour mark a Heitor dos Santos slip awarded Biton the ball but Melika pulled two stunning saves to keep out Zlatanovic from doubling Be’ersheva’s lead.

Maccabi continued to push forward as a Davida counter attack on 63 saw the winger unleash a left foot pile driver that Eliasi managed to save.

Referew David Fuxman showed the yellow card for the first time in the game booking Tyrese Asante for a mistimed tackle on 66.

Three minutes later Noy was also cautioned for a foul on Kings Kangwa just inside Maccabi’s half.

In the 80th minute Helio Varela replaced Davida as Lazetic introduced the Cape Verde winger for the closing stages.

Lazetic made a double substitution in the 89th minute as Noy and Asante bowed out and were replaced by Kervin Andrade and Elad Madmon.

Maccabi’s record against Hapoel Be’ersheva, the highest victory at Turner, and Maccabi’s stats in matches that conclude the first league round.

Both clubs met each in the league so far on 136 occasions with Maccabi winning 65, Be’ersheva winning 31 while 40 encounters ended in a draw. The total goal tally in league matches currently stands on 193–115.
Maccabi played 66 matches away to Hapoel Be’ersheva winning 25 times while Be’ersheva won 21.

Maccabi is the only team in the league, amongst those who played five league matches or more, with a positive record away to Hapoel Be’ersheva.
Since Be’ersheva relocated to Turner stadium Maccabi played 18 matches winning 6, drawing 5 while the hosts won 7.

Maccabi’s highest victory at Turner in all competitions was a 6-1 win the Toto Cup at the start of the 2023/24 season. Eran Zahavi (hat-trick), Yonatan Cohen, Dor Peretz, and Dan Biton were amongst the scorers.

Maccabi’s highest league victory at Turer was a 4-0 win on the final day of the 2018/19 championship winning season. Yonatan Cohen, Avi Rikan, Eli Dasa, and an own goal by Ogu were on target.

A total of 85 Maccabi players represented Maccabi against Be’ersheva at Turner in the league. Dor Peretz made the most appearances for Maccabi at Turner with 11 matches.
Ofir Davidzada, who returned to Be’ersheva from Maccabi in the summer, and Avi Rikan are bot second with 9 appearances each.

To date 12 players scored for Maccabi in league matches at Turner. Dor Peretz and Weslley Patati lead that chart with 3 goals each.

Hapoel Be’ersheva’s coach Ran Kuzukh faced Maccabi in 9 league matches of which Maccabi won 5, Kuzukh won once while 3 matches ended in draws.

Maccabi’s MD13 at Turner will conclude the 2025/26 first league round.
Overall, Maccabi’s record at the end of the first round currently stands on 33 victories, 20 draws, and 20 defeats.

Throughout history, Maccabi completed the first round against 24 different league opponents. The most frequent first-round finales were against Hapoel Tel Aviv and Hapoel Petah Tikva, 9 encounters each.

Maccabi met Hapoel Be’ersheva on the final match of the first league round 5 times.
Ben Luz scored the only goal of the game in 1995, while Djibril Sidibe repeated that at Wassermil stadium in 2011.
Three other matches ended in draws in 1982, 1984, 1988.

The highest victory to round off a first round came in the 1986/87 season as Maccabi beat Beitar Netanya 7-1 during their only season in the top flight. Eli Driks (2), Yair Sanduri (2), Alon Natan (2), and Benny Tabak scored the goals.

Maccabi Tel Aviv FC is pleased to announce that 16-year-old forward Ilay Ben Simon has signed a new three-year-deal.

Ilay Ben Simon (16) who made his senior debut during the Europa League match against Midtjylland becoming Maccabi’s youngest-ever player to represent the club in European competitions, said after signing his new contract: “Signing my first professional contract at Maccabi Tel Aviv is an amazing feeling. This is a big moment, but for me, it’s only the beginning. Now the real work starts. Yalla Maccabi!”

This season playing for Maccabi’s U-19’s, Ben Simon has scored 4 league goals in 10 matches. Last season representing Maccabi’s U-17’s he scored 15 goals in 20 matches in all competitions.

On the International stage Ben Simon is a member of the Israel U19 squad, scoring 2 goals in 5 appearances. He has also represented Israel at U-17 and U-16 levels where he scored 4 goals in a total of 16 matches.

Previews

Three days after the dramatic 2-2 draw away to Ashdod Maccabi returned to Bloomfield stadium for the MD12 WINNER League home match against Hapoel Haifa.

Four days before Sunday’s top of the table clash against Hapoel Be’ersheva at Turner, and Maccabi’s Head Coach Zarko Lazetic returned to guide the side. Lazetic will seek to record a victory over Hapoel Haifa that are ranked 11th in the table, end Maccabi’s winless run since the 2-0 victory over Bnei Reineh on November 1st and cut the gap at the top to two points.

Lazetic made several changes to the starting line-up from the team that drew at Ashdod. Ofek Melika kept his place in goal Ali Camara returning to the side for the first time since suffering a rib injury during the EUROPA League match at Aston Villa. Camara partnered Heitor dos Santos as the two central defenders in front of Melika. Noam Ben Harush who played the full 90 minutes against Ashdod kept his place at left back while Tyrese Asante completed Maccabi’s defensive line on the right. Issouf Sissokho returned to the side in the anchorman role as he was partnered in the engine room by Ido Shahar who scored his sixth league goal at Ashdod. Kervin Andrade who impressed coming off the bench on Sunday was named at the top of the midfield trio. The Venezuelan scored his debut goal for Maccabi during its’ last outing here at Bloomfield, but will aim for a better outcome as that was a consolation on a miserable 6-2 defeat to Beitar Jerusalem. With Dor Peretz resting on the bench, Sagiv Jehezkel was handed the captain’s armband as the 30-year-old was assigned to one wing. Saied Abu Farchi, the scorer of Maccabi’s dramatic late equalizer against Ashdod was on the opposite flak with Ion Nicolaescu leading the line. On the bench alongside Roy Mishpati who returned from suspension were Roy Revivo, Raz Shlomo, Kristijan Belic, Elad Madmon, Itamar Noy, Itay Ben Hemo, Dor Peretz and Osher Davida.

First Half

Maccabi began the match on the front foot and came close to draw first blood inside the first five minutes. Saied Abu Farchi took the initiative as he tested Niv Antman with a long range powerful drive that was equalled by the Haifa keeper. Abu Farchi again looked lively in the 10th minute as he picked a long diagonal ball from Tyrese Asante and cut into the box skipping past one defender before being stopped by another. Sagiv Jehezkel came close on 13 as Abu Farchi’s cross found him unmarked at the far post but his volley was blocked by Sana Gomes. 

The visitors almost took the lead against the run of play as a counter attack down the left caught Maccabi’s defense flat on 21. Regis N’do charged down the right and squared to Rotem Hatuel whose snap shot forced Ofek Melika to a stunning save. Three minutes after the half hour mark Kervin Andrade also tried a long distance effort which bobbled off a defender to almost catch Antman off his line but land on the roof of the net. In the 38th minute Abu Farchi slipped the ball to Ion Nicolaescu who shrugged off his marker and unleashed a fierce low drive which was blocked by Bruno Ramires.

Second half

Lazetic made a triple substitution at the restart as Heitor dos Santos, Issouf Sissokho and Kervin Andrade were replaced by Roy Revivo, Kristijan Belic and Dor Peretz. Noam Ben Harush switched from left to right-back while Asante moved to the heart of defense alongside Camara. Less than a minute after his introduction Revivo cut inside from his left back position and fired a shot with his right that hardly troubled Antman. In the 53rd minute Ido Shahar was cautioned for a mistimed tackle on Yonatan Farber but VAR called referee Gal Levy to the screen and the yellow card was replaced by red leaving Maccabi with 10 men.

Three minutes later and despite the numerical disadvantage the deadlock was finally broken. A Revivo corner was met by an Abu Farchi half volley which beat Antman to put Maccabi infront. Maccabi doubled the score within a couple of minutes as right on the hour mark Peretz began and finished the move. The Maccabi captain won a tackle in the middle of the park and released Nicolaescu who charged forward to break into the box. Just before the Moldovan could pull the trigger, Peretz swept the ball home to score his seventh league goal. This was Nicolaescu’s final contribution as he was replaced a minute later by Osher Davida. Maccabi suffered another blow in the 66th minute as Belic limped off clutching his thigh and was replaced by Itamar Noy. 

Maccabi defended bravely as inside injury time Maccabi came close to seal the victory at the end of a counter attack. Peretz burst forward and with only the keeper to beat unselfishly teed up Davida whose effort was cleared off the line.

In addition to being a man down and with both Jehezkel and Abu Farchi still playing despite being injured as no substitutes were left, the visitors took control. In the 84th minute Haifa cut the deficit in controvercial circumstances as the referee didn’t award Maccabi a foul on Davida before Javon East scored at the opposite end to make it 2-1.

Angelides said: “You have to trust the system that there’s a process for making the right decisions and I think on balance that over the last 15-16 years under Mitch Goldhar’s ownership of the club there is reason to trust the club. It is not my words but this is something that is proven by facts. You have an owner who has made over the years difficult decisions. He’s not shied away from making difficult decisions. He is not a person who has avoided difficult decisions. In fact, he’s made decisions that fans and others perhaps didn’t agree with. But they were the right decisions in his mind because of the long-term interest and long-term future of the Club. We have a situation where the club is now going through a difficult period like all football clubs, some bad results that none of us find acceptable, none of us are happy with, none of us are sitting quietly and accepting. But we have a system that is dealing with these things.

The club decided that the right thing to do, is to take action against the people who are responsible and no one else. I don’t see how you can defend these people, how anyone can defend these people. It is unacceptable. No matter what your view is, whether you like, anyone at the club or not. The least that you could do is stand up and say this is wrong and say it in a loud voice, in a firm voice, because what we don’t need is to encourage this kind of behavior.”

With regards to Maccabi’s Head Coach Zarko Lazetic, who returned to training, Angelides explained: “We have had discussions with him and it was a question of explaining him to look at things in a different perspective and also give some assurances. He will take training, and he will be the coach. We will continue target the achievements that we wanted from the beginning of the season. We will try and correct the mistakes that have been made but we will do it in a way maybe a right one maybe a wrong one but we will do it in a way that is according to the system that has been built with the people who have the right knowledge and with an owner who has been here right from the beginning.”

Maccabi’s Director of Football Ben Mansford added: “The most important thing is Maccabi wins every three or four days and competes for titles. Zarko is an incredibly good coach with a great staff, with a brilliant support structure around him. Of course, only 11 players can play at one time, and no one is perfect. We all make mistakes. We come together now, and we move forward as I believe that we can all help each other. As for the supporters, when we won last year, it was because we are all together and we need to work as fast as we can to get back to that. I need to help Zarko, Dominic Price, all of us. But we win and lose as a team. We win and lose as a staff and as a group of players. We all have to come together, and we all have to realize that this group, this club is good enough to win another championship. It is good enough to pick up points and succeed in Europe. It is good enough to win another State Cup. And now we come together, we really look each other in the mirror. These are tough times. It is just real hard work, real character, taking one step forward, doing the right things, doing the simple things, and making sure we get back on track. For me, it’s just real commitment and hard work and togetherness. and pushing each other and having difficult conversations. And I think we’ve got an environment and a place of work where we can have those.”