Ofek Melika experienced a rollercoaster ride of a season at Maccabi so far after beginning the campaign with a red after 19 minutes of his European debut against Pafos. The 21-year-old keeper waited for his chance on the bench, and became a hero overnight as he saved a crucial spot kick in the State Cup penalty shoot-out victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv. Melika, who claimed the number one jersey and kept a clean sheet in the 4-0 league victory over Maccabi Bnei Reineh, said after the match: “It was very important. We’re all feeling good. There’s new energy and a new atmosphere. I hope we keep looking good and that the feelings stay positive.”

Melika paid tribute to the former coach Zarko Lazetic and his coaching staff as he said: “I think it’s a change in atmosphere, and I really want to thank Žarko Lazetic, the goalkeeping coach Dragan Bajic and his entire staff, I truly enjoyed working with them; first and foremost, they are amazing people. Right now the team has gained a bit more energy, and I’m very happy to be working now with Ronny Deila and with the new goalkeeping coach who arrived. I’ve been very impressed by them. I’m happy they trust me and give me minutes, and I hope we can achieve great things this year.”

On the arrival of Dean Kiely, his new goalkeeping coach, Melika said: “It’s very exciting to work with him. Honestly, I knew who he was beforehand, and my dad is a big admirer. All of his demands, what he expects from me, and the way he runs training, it’s a lot of fun working with him.”

The fact Maccabi are nine points adrift of leaders Hapoel Be’ersheva didn’t shake the confidence of the young custodian who insisted: “I think everything is possible. There’s still the playoffs and we have knockout matches, anything can happen. We’ll just keep going down this path and things will be good.”

On a personal note, Melika summed up: “All my life I’ve been with teams that were underdogs, so I always had to be ready to step in. That’s something I’m used to. I think I’m doing a good job and I hope to continue like this. For me it’s harder to be ready for one or two situations in a half, because you can suddenly lose a bit of connection with the game. But in the end, that’s our job, to stay focused at all times, and hopefully we’ll keep improving.”

On Maccabi’s 12th league victory of the season that took the point tally to 42 points, Abu Farchi said: “A big win, lots of goals and plenty of chances. We did our job. All of this came with the push from the crowd, who drove us on today and created a really good atmosphere, and we thank them.”

On his personal performance on the night, Abu Farchi remained humble: “A goal and two assists? I still expect more from myself.”

Abu farchi who received compliments from Maccabi’s head coach Ronny Deila, said: “It’s very flattering, but honestly I don’t focus on that. If they bring in another striker, it will give me even more motivation to work harder and prove myself. It’s the club’s decision, and as long as I’m on the pitch I’ll give everything I have, and I hope to keep going like this.”

On the close work with Maccabi’s new assistant coach Kenny Miller who was a prolific goal-scorer for Glasgow Rangers, Abu Farchi added: “We have an assistant coach who was a great striker. He takes me for one-on-one talks and works with me in training on things I need to improve. I thank him and hope to continue on this path.”

Preview:

Four days after the emphatic victory over Maccabi Jaffa in the State Cup, Maccabi Tel Aviv returned to Bloomfield stadium for the MD22 WINNER League match against Maccabi Bnei Reineh. Maccabi’s Head Coach, Ronny Deila, who beat Kiryat Shmona 4-1 in his debut match in charge at Netanya and added a 5-0 win over second division side Jaffa at Bloomfield, will aim to continue his 100% record against bottom of the table Bnei Reineh.

The Norwegian, who is missing Heitor dos Santos through suspension, didn’t make too many changes to his starting line-up. Raz Shlomo returned to partner Tyrese Asante at the heart of defense, as the duo lined up in front of goalkeeper Ofek Melika. Noam Ben Harush and Roy Revivo at right and left back respectively completed Maccabi’s back-four.

Itamar Noy in the anchorman role, was joined by Maccabi’s top goal scorers Ido Shahar and Dor Peretz who led the team out with the captain’s armband. After marking his Bloomfield debut with two goals against Jaffa in the Cup, Emir Sahiti, was named on one wing with Helio Varela on the opposite flank. Having scored in his last two outings, Saied Abu Farchi, whose tally currently stands on seven goals in all competitions, led the line.

On the bench, Deila welcomed back, Kristijan Belic, who recovered from his cheekbone injury yet is wearing a protective mask. Goalkeeper Roi Mishpati, Kervin Andrade, Sagiv Jehezkel, Yonas Malede, Elad Madmon, Issouf Sissokho, Itay Ben Hemo and Osher Davida completed the substitutes on the bench.

Prior to kickoff, a minute of applause was held in memory of Maccabi basketball owner David Federman, who was also a member of the football club’s ownership group in the 1990s, after he passed away at the age of 81.

First half:

Ronny Deila received a warm welcoming reception from Maccabi’s fans who cheered the team on right from the off. Maccabi dominated the opening stages pinning Reineh inside their own half and spreading the ball from side to side. Helio Varela on the right and Emir Sahiti on the left tormented the visitors’ defense but couldn’t create an opening. In the 12th minute a Noam Ben Harush’s pinpoint cross found Saied Abu Farchi whose header narrowly missed the target. Two minutes later Sahiti played Dor Peretz clear through as Maccabi’s captain burst forward but Reineh’s keeper, Lior Gliklich, charged off his line and dived at the feet of the Maccabi captain to collect.

Maccabi continued to press forward in an attempt to find an opening as Varela and Itamar Noy exchanged passes before the Cape Verde winger had his effort blocked. But in the 19th minute Peretz went down in the box clutching his face following a corner that Gliklich seemed to have punched away. Referee Yigal Frid was called by the VAR to the screen and awarded Maccabi a penalty as the Reineh keeper didn’t make any contact with the ball. Abu Farchi stepped up and slotted in the spot kick to put Maccabi in front with his 8th goal of the season.

A minute before the half hour mark Maccabi had the ball in the back of the visitors’ net as Sahiti drilled in a powerful low drive that found the bottom far corner. But the referee assistant raised his flag for an offside against Varela as the goal was scratched off. Four minutes later the Kosovo international continued to look dangerous as Abu Farchi slipped him in but this time Sahiti’s effort sailed wide.

Second half:

With no changes to either side at the restart it was the visitors who came closer to score after the interval. A Ben Harush mistake gifted Reineh the ball before Mohamad Shaker was given the time and space to blast a shot which beat Ofek Melika but struck the post. Two minutes later Vitalie Damascan forced Melika to make a save as he punched away a dangerous shot which dipped right in front of him. But in the 51st minute Maccabi doubled their lead at the opposite end as Abu charged half the length of the pitch before picking Sahiti on the right. The winger still had his work cut for himself as his shot which took a slight deflection to beat Gliklich for his debut league goal and three in two outings.

Maccabi’s blitz continues two minutes later with Abu Farchi adding another assist this time for Roy Revivo who drilled in his second league goal in succession to make it 3-0.

Three minutes after the hour mark, Varela who had one attempt narrowly miss the target, had another effort turned for a corner. Maccabi continued to press in an attempt to score a fourth while Reineh’s defended a series of four corners. In the 67th minute the 19,733 fans at Bloomfield were on their feet as Deila introduced Osher Davida and Kristijan Belic for Shahar and Varela. Belic’s name echoed around the Jaffa stadium as fans welcomed back the Serbian combative midfielder with the mask. The impact of Belic was almost instant as Peretz reached two good chances to score but Gliklich managed to deny him on both occasions.

A missed Tyrese Asante clearance in the 79th minute allowed Damascan to break through, but Melika charged off his line as the two players suffered from the head collision. With Melika on the ground a Reineh player rolled the ball in, but VAR called Frid to the screen and this goal was cancelled as well. Deila made a triple substitution as Ben Harush, Noy and Abu Farchi bowed out to a standing ovation and were replaced on 82 by Sagiv Jehezkel, Issouf Sissokho and Yonas Malede. Three minutes after his introduction, Malede, swept home a Revivo accurate square ball to end a two-year long drought as his previous goal was scored on February 10^th, 2024.

Inside injury time Peretz could have made with a close range header but Gliklich pulled a stunning reflex save to deny the Maccabi captain before the full time whistle was heard.

Maccabi Tel Aviv FC are the only club in Israel to have played in the top division in all 85 seasons (74 seasons since the State of Israel was established, and 11 seasons prior to it).

Playing their fourth season in succession of top-flight football, Bnei Reineh, are the 47th club (only ahead of Ironi Tiberias at 48) to appear in Israel’s top division.

Reineh’s league debut in Israel’s top division was in the 2022/23 campaign, away to Maccabi on Matchday 1, ending in a 5-0 defeat. Similar debuts include Maccabi Ahi Nazareth in 2003/04 (2-0 to Maccabi) and Ironi Ashdod in 1993/94 (1-0 to Maccabi).

Their debut top-flight 0-5 defeat to Maccabi remains Bnei Reineh’s heaviest defeat in 281 matches since the club was re-established.

Maccabi have faced Bnei Reineh in 9 league matches and a 74.1% success rate having won 6, drawn 2 and lost 1 with a total goal tally of 19-7.

Fifty two Maccabi players featured against Reineh in league matches. Maccabi’s captain Dor Peretz is the only player to have featured in all 9 encounters.

A total of 12 Maccabi players scored against Bnei Reineh with Dor Peretz leading the list with 3 goals to his name.

Four players who played for Maccabi also featured for Reineh: Saied Abu Farchi, Ruslan Barsky, Osama Khalaila, and Omri Altman.

Ido Shahar is enjoyig the best season of his career as the goal he scored in the State Cup Quarter Final tie against Maccabi Jaffa took his season tally to 13 goals in all competitions. The 24-year-old midfielder who grew up in Maccabi’s Youth Academy, began by offering his condolences to the Federman family alfollowing the news of former Maccabi basketball owner, David Federman has passed away this morning at the age of 81: “I would like to express my condolences to the Federman family, on behalf of all the players and the club’s staff.”

Shahar who continued scoring under newly appointed Head Coach Ronny Deila, said of the mood in the camp with two emphatic victories in the last two outings: “We have a new coach. Every coach arrives with a philosophy, a style of play and specific emphases. We need to adapt as quickly as possible and perform in the best way. I am happy we have done that in the last two matches. The upcoming matches are like Cup finals, and we are coming at peak readiness. The coach believes in a very attacking style. We have video sessions, he shows us what he wants us to do, and we try to execute it in the best possible way.”

As Maccabi now face bottom of the table Bnei Reineh followed by a clash away to fellow title contenders Beitar Jerusalem, Shahar remained adamant: “Reineh is a very important match. It is true that Beitar are a direct title rival, but in the end it is three points. If we don’t do the job tomorrow, then there’s no point. We will try to do our best tomorrow.”

While Shahar is currently Maccabi’s top scorer in all competitions, in the league his 8 goals leave him one behind Dor Peretz. Shahar, paid tribute to his captain as he said: “Dor and I have a very good connection. I learn a lot from him, both on and off the pitch. I’m happy for everything he brings to the team and hope he keeps it up.”

On his personal targets for the rest of the season, Shahar revealed: “Some people say that even I didn’t believe I could reach these numbers. Before the first round, the previous coach and his staff called me in for a talk and we discussed goals for the season. They set a target of 15 goals and I said I could do it. I hope to reach that target.”

On helping new signing Emir Sahiti settle in, Shahar added: “As players, we try as much as possible to warmly welcome the foreign players who arrive here, especially in a period like this. I spoke with him before and during the match, about expectations, understanding certain things, and looking for each other on the pitch. I told him I’ve got his back and that he should play with confidence.”

On what the team might expect against Reineh tomorrow, Shahar concluded: “It’s not easy to break down a team that defends deep. We need to be dynamic, make movements and move the ball. That’s the solution in games like this. An early goal could help us, but we’ll stick to our way until we achieve the objective.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv were drawn to face Maccabi Haifa in the Semi Final of the WINNER State Cup. Sports betting board CEO Meir Bardugu and former Israel legend Mottale Spiegler conducted the draw which took place at the IFA headquarters. Second division side Bnei Yehuda will face Hapoel Be’ersheva in the second Semi Final.

Matches are scheduled for March 17th and 18th with the venues and kickoff times to be published by the IFA at a later stage.