Category: First Team
Preparing for Porto
With six points from seven matches, Maccabi, which are currently 29th in the table with six points, host the Portugeuse giants for the final match in Belgrade.
Zarko Lazetic’s side is three points away from the 24th place, that guarantees a place in the knockout phase. Porto, are also battling to qualify as they are 25th with 8 points after 2 victories, 2 draws and 3 defeats.
After practice, the team left for Ben Gurion airport, where they will jett out to the Serbian capital.
Match at Haifa abandoned at HT
Preview
Maccabi arrived at Sammy Ofer for the MD20 WINNER League match away to Maccabi Haifa in second place, six points adrift of leaders Hapoel Be’ersheva.
Having beaten Haifa twice this season, 2-0 at the corresponding fixture which Maccabi hosted at Teddy in October as well as 3-1 in the Toto Cup Final in December, maintaining that unbeaten record is imperative for the title race and bragging rights.
Head Coach Zarko Lazetic handed goalkeeper Simon Sluga his debut league appearance as the 31-year-old Croatian custodian who featured twice for Maccabi in the State Cup, started in goal at the expense of Roi Mishpati.
Idan Nachmias and Nemanja Stojic lined-up as the two central defenders in front of Sluga with Tyrese Asante and Roy Revivo completing Maccabi’s back-four. Joris van Overeem and Issouf Sissokho were bot assigned to the engine room with Dor Peretz at the top of the midfield trio leading the team out with the captain’s armband. Osher Davida on one flank and Weslley Patati on the other supplied the width to Maccabi’s formation with Dor Turgeman leading the line seeking to add to his 9 league goals and 13 in all competitions.
On the bench alongside Mishpati, Lazetic named Stav Lemkin, Eran Zahavi, Raz Shlomo, Elad Madmon, Henry Addo, Ofir Davidzada, Hisham Layous and Ido Shahar.
First half
A packed Sammy Ofer stadium welcomed both sets of players onto the pitch as the two sides wore Tshirts marking the return from captivity of Emily Damari and Doron Steinbrecher. Two minutes from the start Dor Turgeman was sent into the area but a last gasp tackle by Abdoulaye Seck prevented the Maccabi young striker from pulling the trigger. Seconds later Haifa’s central defender Rami Gershon fell to the found clutching his hamstring and limped off before being replaced by Tomer Lans. In the 10th minute Dor Peretz found himself with only Shareef Keouf to beat but Maccabi’s captain sliced his shot wide of the post.
In the 26th minute the hosts took the lead after Dolev Haziza was given the time and space down the right before his shot bounced off the post, struck Tyrese Asante and rolled in. Weslley Patati tried his luck with a left foot shot on 36 which sailed high and wide from the edge of the area. Due to flares thrown onto the pitch from the home fans sector, the fourth official signalled 11 minutes of added time. Seconds later Osher Davida blasted a left foot drive that Haifa’s keeper punched away. Davida had another effort clawed away by Keouf a minute later as the winger continued to look dangerous from the right flank.
After a discussion in the dressing room between the local police commander, the match delegate, the referee and representatives of both clubs, the police decided to abandon the match in fear of safety for the players and fans.
Warming up: 5 goals against Haifa
Sissokho: “Our mentality is to try win every match”
Lazetic ahead of Haifa
Peretz: “The gesture to Emily? Is the most important thing”
Dor Peretz scored to give Maccabi an early lead but Bodo/Glimt hit back with three goals to inflict a 3-1 defeat.
At the end of the match Peretz said: “This was the most important thing. It was a gesture for Emily. I have seen that smile when she returned. It’s a moment of joy as Maccabi players knowing that she would be back supporting us soon. Obviously we don’t forget the rest of the hostages and are waiting for all of them to return amongst them our fans. When all of them will return we will be super happy.”
On the difficult conditions Maccabi were facing on the night against a quality Bodo/Glimt side Peretz said: “There is no doubt they are a quality well trained team. he weather and the pitch are conditions we are normally not used to but this is not an excuse. They were better than us and deserved to win”
Lazetic’s after the defeat to Bodo/Glimt
Europa League: Maccabi lose 3-1 to Bodo
Preview
Maccabi arrived at the Aspmyra stadium ahead of the EUROPA League MD7 encounter with Norwegian Champions Bodo/Glimt aiming to keep their qualification aspirations in tact. Two victories in the last two matches against Turkish side Besiktas and Latvia’s RFS took Maccabi’s point tally to six points from the first six league matches.
Zarko Lazetic was missing injured duo Gabi Kanichowsky and Sagiv Jehezkel and Weslley Patati who is serving a one-match-touchline ban made several changes from the last match.
Roi Mishpati kept his place in goal with Idan Nachmias and Nemanja Stojic as the two central defenders in front of him. Tyrese Asante on the right and Roy Revivo on the left completed Maccabi’s defensive back-line. Joris van Overeem and Issouf Sisspko were named by Lazetic in Maccabi’s engine room with Dor Peretz completing the midfield trio with the captain’s armband. Hisham Layous on one wing and Osher Davida on the opposite flank supplied the width to Maccabi’s formation in support of Dor Turgeman who led the line.
On the bench, Lazetic named Simon Sluga and Shalev Saadya, Stav Lemkin, Eran Zahavi, Raz Shlomo, Elad Madmon, Henry Addo, Ofir Davidzada, Ido Shahar, Idan Weinbrg, Roey Magor.
First Half
After a nervous start which saw Maccabi get used to the artificial pitch and the sub zero weather conditions, Zarko Lazetic’s side took the lead in their first ever chance. Issouf Sissokho burst forward in the 12th minute and picked Dor Turgeman on the edge of Bodo/Glimt’s area. The young forward slipped the ball to Dor Peretz who kept his calm and drilled his shot past Nikita Haikin to put Maccabi infront. In the 23rd minute the crossbar rescued Roi Mishpati from conceding after Isak Dybvik Määttä met Patrick Berg’s cross with a powerful header which rattled the woodwork.
In the 39th minute Osher Davida was penalised for a foul on Fredrik Andre Bjorkan near the corner and was consequently booked. Berg whipped in the resulting free kick and found Kasper Høgh who nodded home the equalizer at the far post to level the score. Turgeman required medical treatment on 44 but w as back on the pitch before the fourth official signalled for 2 minutes of added time. Nemanja Stojic was also cautioned by Spanish referee Rocardo de Burgos for a mistimed tackle on Määttä right on the halfway line. That was the final action of the first half as the halftime whistle sent both teams to warm up in the dressing rooms during the interval.
Second Half
With no changes at the restart Bodo/Glimt continued to look dangerous as Bjørkan was booked for a foul on Joris van Overeem in the 55th minute. Two minutes later van Overeem released Turgeman with a perfect through ball but Bodo/Glimt’s defense managed to recover.
A minute after the hour mark the hosts completed their comeback as Jostein Gunderson tore through the middle of Maccabi’s defense before slipping the ball to Hakon Evjen who blasted last Misphati. Jens Petter Hauge who was introduced as substitute made an immediate impact as his cross struck the hand of Tyrese Asante. The referee pointed at the spot and Høgh rolled the penalty beyond Mishpati’s reach to increase Bodo’s lead to 3-1. Lazetic made a double change on 78 as Henry Addo came on for Davida while Elad Madmon replaced Turheman. A last gasp Van Overeem tackle on Maccabi’s goalmouth saw the Dutch born midfielder fling himself across the goal to block Bodo from scoring a fourth on 83.
