Mishpati, whose last appearance was in the 5-0 Quarter Final victory over Maccabi Jaffa back in February, spoke of his relationship with Ronny Deila: “The coach spoke with me and gave me confidence. He felt he could rely on me, and he showed it by letting me start in such an important match. I’m glad I was able to repay him on the pitch.”

On his thoughts ahead of the Final against Hapoel Be’ersheva at the end of May, Mishpati said: “I always believe, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be sitting here. I really love these moments against the big teams, and it’s a shame the stadium wasn’t full.”

Mishpati, who watched his fellow keeper Ofek Melika from the bench, said of Maccabi’s recent defeat to Be’ersheva: “It was a key game for us. We didn’t manage to get a good result, but before the semifinal we talked about what’s left until the end of the season and about doing something special. That’s what we’ve been discussing in recent days, me, Dor, Ali, everyone with experience, and we managed to pass on to the younger players that this is the important game.”

In view of Sunday’s Tel Aviv derby, Mishpati said: “Of course, we’ve already started talking in the dressing room about the derby. For us, it’s the most important match and the main goal right now.”

Tyrese Asante’s second half earned helped Maccabi book their place in the State Cup final against Hapoel Be’ersheva. The 24-year-old Dutch defender who scored his second goal this season at Teddy, was relieved at bouncing back following the defeat to Hapoel Be’ersheva on Sunday. “We didn’t play the way we usually do or want to, so we knew we had to give more in this game, and we did. We showed what kind of team we can be, and you saw it today in both the performance and the result.”

Asante who celebrated with a swimming gesture as a response to a social media jab by Be’ersheva’s Kings Kangwa, admitted: “I know how these things work. It’s funny, I laughed about it. The best thing you can do is respond on the pitch. It’s funny, that’s all it is. I wasn’t offended, that’s how it goes. When someone does something good, they can talk, and I responded on the field.”

Ahead of Sunday’s derby against Hapoel Tel Aviv which will kickoff the Playoff, he said: “We want to win every game. The last derby didn’t go the way we wanted and we lost. We need to bounce back, we still have that anger in us. We’re upset we lost, and we’re the ones who can fix it. We know our abilities, and the fans need to be behind us in the match. We’re giving everything, and we’ll try to keep giving everything.

Maccabi will begin the Playoff of the 2025/26 season with a Tel Aviv derby against arch city rivals Hapoel and aim to avenge the dramatic late defeat in the regular season.

A repeat of the State Cup Semi Final will see Maccabi head to Sammy Ofer and face Maccabi Haifa on MD28. Maccabi then host leaders Hapoel Be’ersheva on MD29 before traveling to Jerusalem for a match against second place Beitar on MD30.

Hapoel Petah Tikva that reached the Top Playoff in their first season back in the top-flight, travel to Bloomfield on MD31.

The second round of the Playoff kicks off with the fourth Tel Aviv derby in the league hosted by Hapoel. Maccabi will remain at Bloomfield for the third match in succession as they host Maccabi Haifa on MD33.  Maccabi’s final home match of the season will see them host Beitar Jerusalem at Bloomfield on MD34. 

A trip to Turner stadium for a match away to Hapoel Be’ersheva awaits Maccabi on MD35. 

The 2025/26 league campaign will come to an end with a short trip and a match away to Hapoel Petah Tikva on MD36.

Playoff fixtures:

MD27:

Hapoel Be’ersheva v Hapoel Petah Tikva

Beitar Jerusalem v Maccabi Haifa

Maccabi Tel Aviv v Hapoel Tel Aviv

MD28:

Hapoel Petah Tikva v Hapoel Tel Aviv

Hapoel Be’ersheva v Beitar Jerusalem

Maccabi Haifa v Maccabi Tel Aviv

MD29:

Beitar Jerusalem v Hapoel Petah Tikva

Maccabi Tel Aviv v Hapoel Be’ersheva

Hapoel Tel Aviv v Maccabi Haifa

MD30:

Hapoel Petah Tikva v Maccabi Haifa

Hapoel Be’ersheva v Hapoel Tel Aviv

Beitar Jerusalem v Maccabi Tel Aviv

MD31:

Maccabi Tel Aviv v Hapoel Petah Tikva

Hapoel Tel Aviv v Beitar Jerusalem

Maccabi Haifa v Hapoel Be’ersheva

MD32:

Hapoel Petah Tikva v Hapoel Be’ersheva

Maccabi Haifa v Beitar Jerusalem

Hapoel Tel Aviv v Maccabi Tel Aviv

MD33:

Hapoel Tel Aviv v Hapoel Petah Tikva

Maccabi Tel Aviv v Maccabi Haifa

Beitar Jerusalem v Hapoel Be’ersheva

MD34:

Maccabi Haifa v Hapoel Petah Tikva

Hapoel Tel Aviv v Hapoel Be’ersheva

Maccabi Tel Aviv v Beitar Jerusalem

MD35:

Hapoel Petah Tikva v Beitar Jerusalem

Hapoel Be’ersheva v Maccabi Tel Aviv

Maccabi Haifa v Hapoel Tel Aviv

MD36:

Hapoel Petah Tikva v Maccabi Tel Aviv

Beitar Jerusalem v Hapoel Tel Aviv

Hapoel Be’ersheva v Maccabi Haifa

 

 

Yaakov Zilberstein, affectionately known by his friends as Yankele, was born in the shtetl—a vibrant Jewish community filled with spiritual atmosphere—in the town of Tomaszów Mazowiecki, located near Łódź, Poland, nestled among three rivers that created a peaceful ambiance.

Alongside his studies in the yeshiva and his dream of becoming a great rabbi, Yankele, like his friends, loved to play soccer during school breaks, keep up with current events, and glance through the secular daily newspaper Hayntike Nayes, which reported on the games of Maccabi and Maccabi Krakow—teams that proudly wore blue and white uniforms with the Star of David, unafraid of the antisemitism they faced.

These were the foggy days on the eve of war, and suddenly, from out of nowhere, World War II erupted. On the 13th of September, the face of his town changed—on the eve of the Jewish New Year, the Germans entered the city.

Yankele was arrested by German soldiers. “Come here, boy, help us with this. Finish the task and you’ll return to your parents.”

At the end of that day, as the sun set and Rosh Hashanah began, with its prayers echoing in his mind, Yankele was taken along with 90 other townspeople—30 of them boys aged 14–15 like him—on a journey through hell. He would never again see any member of his family and was left alone in the world.

On Rosh Hashanah, instead of apples and honey, he was forced into hard labor without food or water. With no mother to come and show him compassion, Yankele arrived at the notorious Buchenwald concentration camp.

Three years later, on October 15, 1942, Yankele was transferred in a cattle train to the Auschwitz death camp. Upon arrival, as they were led to their slaughter, the prisoners were ordered: “Take off your clothes, go take a shower.” Suddenly, a man on a motorcycle appeared and shouted, “Stop! These are craftsmen—we need them here as skilled workers.”

Despite the harsh labor, starvation, and the body’s weakening will to live, a resistance began to form and grow within Auschwitz III—Buna Monowitz. This international underground movement, composed of both political and Jewish prisoners—including the frail yeshiva student Yankele—started secretly transferring gunpowder to Auschwitz II in an effort to blow up the crematoria. Eventually, the revolt failed, and only Crematorium IV was destroyed on October 7, 1944.

Yankele was caught due to an informant. The German guards lashed him with a 75-strand whip made of animal tail, demanding he count each blow. Yankele counted the lashes, recited the Shema Yisrael, and fainted. He was carried away on a stretcher. Days later, summoned again for interrogation, he refused to betray the names of his comrades. Another 75 lashes. Again, he fainted. Again and again, he was brought in and tortured. At one point he was hung from a tree by both hands raised above his head—but he remained silent, never revealing the names of those in the resistance. In the heart of the inferno, with his life hanging by a thread, this was true Jewish heroism.

Yankele survived the 60-kilometer death march back to Buchenwald and was liberated on April 11, 1945.

He made his way to the Land of Israel via displaced persons camps in Italy, where he was among the founders of “Kibbutz Aliyah.” There, he and his friends took in and cared for orphaned children in preparation for immigration to Israel. On the way, aboard the ship Bracha Fold, they were intercepted by the British and sent to a detention camp in Cyprus. There, Yankele married the love of his life, Rachel—a fellow Holocaust survivor. In June 1947, before the establishment of the State of Israel, they arrived in the country and settled in the town of Rishon LeZion, where Yankele joined the local defense force.

In 1978, before Israel and Poland had diplomatic relations, Yankele marched at the head of a delegation of Holocaust survivor organizations through Auschwitz. With his head held high, he carried a large Israeli flag—the first time such a flag had been seen on Polish soil at the death camp. Ignoring Polish soldiers who demanded he remove the flag, he walked proudly, unafraid of arrest.

Like his parents, Yankele followed the path of the Gur Hasidic dynasty. He began studying in a cheder (traditional Jewish school) as a child, and as a teenager, continued at the famed Yeshiva of Chachmei Lublin. After proving mastery of over 400 pages of Talmud, he was accepted into the yeshiva.

When he arrived at Buchenwald, he was welcomed as a spiritual father by Rabbi and Professor Frankfurter, who asked him before his death: “Tell the world what happened here.” Yankele honored this final wish by lecturing in Israel and around the world.

Through these lectures, he reconnected with Maccabi Tel Aviv, which he saw as the spiritual successor of the fearless Maccabi Poland teams. His love for the club was passed on to his grandson Daniel, who continues to proudly support Maccabi to this day.

Yankele was laid to rest in the Land of Israel as a free man on November 24, 2021, at the age of 100 years and one month.

May his memory be a blessing.

Dor Peretz enjoyed better nights as Maccabi’s captain but on a night the side he captained suffered a 3-1 defeat to Hapoel Be’ersheva. The 30-year-old faced the cameras and said after the match: “We are very disappointed, mainly with our performance in the first half. We didn’t show up. It’s disappointing, collectively, individually, everything. That said, we managed to perform much better in the second half, but we still handed them the game. It wasn’t convincing football from either side, but we made mistakes that, at this stage of the season, we simply cannot make.”

Saied Abu Farchi’s second half penalty canceled Be’ersheva’s early lead before a Kings Kangwa brace inflicted Maccabi a 3-1 defeat. “The plan wasn’t to sit so deep, but it didn’t really work out. The easy goal we conceded made us feel uncomfortable” Peretz explained: “It didn’t come off, we move on.”

The defeat leaves Maccabi on 49 points and extended the gap from the leaders to 10 points. Focus will now turn to the Cup as Maccabi travel to Jerusalem and face Maccabi Haifa in the Semi Final. “We’ll talk about Wednesday’s match first. I am always optimistic, but right now Wednesday is our focus, and we’ll deal with the league after that.”