n 1985 Mashina’s self-titled debut album, was released as the young band turned overnight into a sensation conquering the Israeli charts with songs like ‘Optikai Meduplam’ (A certified optician), ‘Anna’, ‘Ballada le Sochen Kaful’ (A ballade for a double agent), ‘Atid Matok’ (Sweet future) and more.

The album included another song – ‘Rakevet Layla’ (Night Train) which was initially released as a single. Night Train was a great success and is considered one of the band’s biggest hits – was written following the trauma caused by the first Lebanon war of 1982. Over the years, ‘Night train’ became one of Mashina’s most loved songs but also broke into the tribunes of the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans. The connection to the club was so strong that during the past decade a part of the song was sounded in home matches after the team scored goals.

Forty years on, in a special documentary we go back to the fascinating stories behind the forming of Mashina, the reasons for its’ rapid success, what led to the writing of ‘Night train’ and the strong bond to Maccabi and its’ fans. The movie includes original material shared by the band members from their private archives which gives us all a rare glimpse into the days where one of Israel’s greatest musical legends was formed

 Dor Peretz who scored Maccabi’s equalizer on the way to a dramatic late 3-2 victory over Hapoel Hadera at Netanya last Saturday. Five days later and ahead of the match against Hapoel Haifa at Bloomfield which will conclude the regular league season, Peretz reflected on the previous match. “Personally, after watching and analyzing the game, I think the energy at the start of the game was excellent” Peretz said on the match that began on a bright note before the match took a different course. “We then conceded from a set piece and shortly after the second goal. For a big team to concede two goals causes a shock, but I am delighted we showed that there is character here of a team and players who know how to bounce back and grow from this.”

The 29-year-old whose goal against Hadera was his 6^th in the league and 13^th in all competitions this season, said of his personal form: “I am regrettably not aware of criticism directed at me. When the team is winning I am feeling great and when the team is losing then I have responsibility as overall I have a lot of responsibility on my shoulders to lead the team to where we would like to be, just like other players. This is a collective team effort and I am happy when we succeed as a team.”

On the title race and the head-to-head battle with Hapoel Be’ersheva, Peretz added: “I am focused on my team and what we can do, as long as we do it – which is our duty. I can respond to a narrative that other people determine.”

On the feeling at the end of the game against Hadera, Peretz said: “The (two-goal) deficit was turned into a victory so I don’t know what negative feeling we are talking about. We have things to learn from but we did manage to win. We are our biggest enemy, because when we lose point it is us, Be’ersheva does their share, and every team has its own journey.”

Hapoel Haifa secured a 5^th spot at the end of the regular season to book a place in the Play Offs. When both teams met earlier this season Maccabi were held to a 1-1 draw by Hapoel Haifa at Sammy Ofer, as Peretz reflected: “An opponent of the highest level, as our match at Sammy Ofer against them was one of the toughest we had all season. They are good at counter attacks and have players of the highest quality so we will have to adapt ourselves in order to display the football we would like to show.”

Maccabi are set to host Hapoel Haifa at Bloomfield stadium on Saturday (19:30) on MD26 for the final WINNER league match of the regular season. Shortly before the Playoff kicks off, we expect a one-of-the-kind experience as the weekend will be dedicated for an exciting collaboration between Maccabi and Mashina marking 40 years since the release of Night Train which is so identified with the club.

Details for the match against Hapoel Haifa

Stadium: Bloomfield
Kickoff: 19:30
Broadcaster: Sport4
Referee: David Fuxman
Referee Assistants: Mati Ya’acobov, Lioz Edi
VAR: Eytan Shmuelevic, Dudu Biton
Fourth official: Sapir Berman
Weather: 18, clear

Celebrating 40 years of Night Train

The joint project of Maccabi and Mashina will reach a peak as the forthcoming home match will be dedicated to 40 years since the release of the band’s debut album and the song Night Train. The fans at Bloomfield should expect an extremely exciting and memorable moment as a ceremony acknowledging Mashina’s work will take place before kickoff.

We highly recommend you arrive at the stadium earlier than usual. The number of fans could lead to traffic congestion on the way to Bloomfield as well as at the entrance to the stadium. So please ensure your early arrival and guarantee that you avoid any delays at the entrance which will see you miss out.

Important, the madness at Bloomfield will begin way before kickoff so we highly recommend you leave home early to ensure you don’t miss an extra ordinary unique experience with Maccabi.

So what should you expect at the weekend?

A festival of content on social media, the official website and the Maccabi App. The highlight is a documentary ‘A very familiar sound’ which will be aired this evening (Thursday) and will bring you the fascinating behind the scenes stories of the legendary career of Mashina, Night Train and the connection to Maccabi.

A “Maccabi x Mashina” collection awaiting you in the stores

250 square meters of all the most Maccabi items which will await you at the Maccabi official store at Bloomfield (between Gates 13-11)

At the match Maccabi will wear a special kit inspired by 40 years for the release of Night Train and in addition we launched an entire collection – limited edition – which will await you at the Bloomfield store, in the trailer outside Gates 7-8 and in Maccabi’s ONLINE store. The collection includes a goalkeeper jersey, a jacket, two special T-shirts, a scarf, and a hat.

We would like to remind you that every one of us should be responsible for his actions and could contribute to Maccabi’s success. An improper behavior in the stands, racism, or usage of weaponry or pyrotechnics could lead to heavy fines, deduction of points and stadium bans. Let us win on the pitch and avoid a defeat in the stands.

The Yellow hotline: Maccabi’s WhatsApp number: 050-6144555

Service for the fans: In every Maccabi match, as of 3 hours before kickoff, our representatives will be available for you and answer every question regarding season tickets, tickets or any other matter concerning arrival at the stadium at the following number – 050-6144555. All you have to do is add us to your contact list and we will be there for you. Yalla Maccabi !

 

 

 

 

On one side is the most decorated club in Israeli football, on the other side the biggest ever Israeli Rock N’ Roll band. The most natural unification between football and Rock N’ Roll is created when Maccabi Tel Aviv and Mashina join forces. The ground-breaking collaboration will celebrate 40 years since the launch of the band’s debut album and the song Night Train which has become so identified with the club and its fans.

The exciting link between the club and the band, a first of a kind in Israeli culture, was born from the desire to honor the work of Mashina that released their self-titled debut album in 1985. This outstanding creating brought us hit songs such as ‘Optikai Meduplam’ (A certified optician) ‘Anna’. ‘Atid Matok’ (Sweet future), and notably ‘Rakevet Layla’ (Night Train). This iconic song that became a pillar in Israeli music, was adopted over the years by Maccabi’s fans and turned into an iconic chant in the tribunes as well.

One of the highlights of this collaboration will take place at Bloomfield stadium as the team will wear a special kit as a tribute to mark 40 years for the release of Night Train. The design of this kit was inspired by the iconic clip of the song and includes some of its’ lyrics, graphic elements of the club and band as well as a logo which is a combination of Maccabi and Mashina initials.

The fans at Bloomfield should expect a unique experience at a game which will be dedicated to the link between the two household names, as a special ceremony in honor of Mashina is set to take place before kickoff.

Earlier, the weekend will include a celebration of content on social media, the official website and the Maccabi App. The pinnacle will feature a documentary ‘A very familiar sound’ will bring you the fascinating stories behind the legendary journey to stardom of Mashina, Night Train and the connection to Maccabi. The documentary will be published this evening (Thursday) and you are all welcome to click on the link below to watch a short teaser.

To mark such a gigantic move we didn’t leave you just with the unique kit, we also launched an entire limited edition collection inspired by Night Train. The collection includes a goalkeeper’s shirt, a jacket, two special Tshirts, a scarf and a hat. All the items are available for purchase at the official online store and at the official megastore at Bloomfield stadium.