Roy Revivo completed another 90 on the left side of Maccabi’s defense during the 4-1 victory over Maccabi Netanya at Bloomfield. The victory saw Maccabi secure top spot for at least another week as the gap at the top from second place Hapoel Be’ersheva currently stands on five points.

On his 27^th appearance in all competitions this season, Revivo, who will celebrate his 22^nd birthday next month, saw his side’s fifth victory in succession. “We are delighted to win five successive league matches which means there is continuity and that suggests that things are working well” Revivo said. “There are many ups and down in football, as just as we had a two-goal lead and conceded then suddenly you remember that everything can happen in football. I know we have a winning team here regardless of tactics as everyone plays for each other, giving it all to win balls which is fun to be part of such a team.”

On the 3-2 victory over Hapoel Hadera which saw Maccabi bounce back from a two-goal deficit to a three-goal comeback, that proceeded the run of victories, Revivo reflected: “I think one should treat every match separately but there was some breaking point at that stage as we were a little confused and didn’t know what to do. Yet we knew how to bounce back which is proof of our mental strength and resilience.”

Revivo, who could have ended the match with a first half spectacular volley, was left at the end of the match to praise Eran Zahavi overhead bicycle kick. “He truly deserves it. I am speechless as he is such an inspiration to everyone in the dressing room. One can see how hard he works whether he is playing or not and at his age I am still learning from him daily on how to work.”

 

 

Eran Zahavi crossed the 200 mark as he scored a brace in the 4-1 victory over Maccabi Netanya on Saturday to lead Maccabi to their fifth league victory in succession. Maccabi’s 20th victory of the season took the point tally to 66 and the number of goals scored to 66 as well. The 37-year-old striker didn’t get carried away as he said at the end of the match: “We did our job and won a very important match tonight especially after beating Hapoel Be’ersheva last week. We kept the first place which is the most important thing and we are looking forward.”

Zahavi, who scored a few spectacular goals in his career, said of his overhead bicycle kick which doubled Maccabi’s lead on the night: “I haven’t scored for a while so it was a special goal but the most important thing is that we won tonight and played well as a team. There was an amazing atmosphere in the stadium and this was my 200th goal for Maccabi so it had to be something special”

Zahavi who made his 10th league start and 37th appearance in all competitions said of his season so far: “The situation was a little new to me and I am dealing with it ok overall. Obviously I would have been happy to play as much as possible but I must respect the coach’s decision and do the best I possibly can when I am on the pitch. This is what I tried to do today and throughout the season. Sometimes it works better and sometimes less, but my job is to be a professional all the way till the end.”

On the race for the title with Hapoel Be’ersheva that are now five points adrift but with a match in hand they will play away to Maccabi Haifa on Monday, Zahavi added: “From my experience we must look only at ourselves, try and win every match and not to look at our rivals. In the end we need to do our job and if we will stick to that in the end we will reach the trophy. We kept the first place for another week which is what we need to do going forward.”

In the 59th minute the fans held banners marking the 59 hostages still held in Gaza and in particular three Maccabi fans – Gali & Zivi Berman as well as Omri Miran. On the fans’ gesture, and Maccabi’ activities throughout this difficult period, the captain summed up: “I am so proud of our club and the way in which it conducts itself ever since October 7th last year. We don’t forget anyone, support the families, those who return from captivity and those who are still there. I am so proud but we must continue and can’t afford to forget anyone as we will continue to do it.”

The 21-year-old Brazilian who scored his 11th goal in all competitions this season said at the end of the match: “I am delighted with the victory at a match which was very important for us. I hope we continue this way all the way to the championship. It was a vey important match, but there are eight matches still left to play. Every match is very important. We must remain focused but we can still be happy and celebrate the victory today.”

“We have a very good team” Patati said: “We are working very hard every day in order to play this way. We played well and I would like us to continue this way.”

When asked to compare life in Israel and Brazil, Patati added: “The atmosphere at matches are similar, stadiums are full and I would like to thank our fans who travelled here and helped us win the match today.”

Patati who joined Maccabi in the summer from Santos, said of his future plans: “I have a three year contract so I am here. I leave such matters for my agent but I would like to continue playing here as I am very happy here. Maccabi is like a family to me – everyone is helping me all the time including the fans”