The Dutch defender who scored the second goal in the 3-2 victory over Maccabi Haifa said at the end of the match: “We knew we had to give more in a game like this.”
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 Tel Aviv arrived at Teddy stadium for the State Cup Semi Final against Maccabi Haifa which was rescheduled following the war with Iran and relocated from Sammy Ofer to the capital.
Three days after the disappointment of the 3-1 league defeat to Hapoel Be’ersheva in the final match of the regular season and before the Playoff kickoff this Sunday, Maccabi turned their attention to the Cup. Head Coach Ronny Deila will try and guide Maccabi to a victory against a Haifa side that his predecessor didn’t beat in two attempts in the league this season drawing 1-1 at Bloomfield in October and suffering a 4-1 defeat at Sammy Ofer in January.
Deila named Roi Mishapti as the 33-year-old keeper whose last appearance was during the Quarter Final 5-0 victory over Maccabi Jaffa in February, replaced Ofek Melika in goal. Eli Camara returned to the starting line-up and partnered Heitor dos Santos as the two central defenders in front of Mishpati. Making his 80th appearance for Maccabi in all competitions, Tyrese Asante, returned to the role of right-back. Roy Revivo completed Maccabi’s back-four on the left side of defense. Deila stuck with the same midfield trio of Itamar Noy in the anchorman role right behind Maccabi’s leading goalscorers Ido Shahar and Dor Peretz. Helio Varela and Osher Davida were named by Deila on both wings supplying the width to Maccabi’s formation. In the absence of Saied Abu Farchi who is serving a one-match touchline ban for the fifth booking he collected against Be’ersheva on Sunday, Deila named Elad Madmon. The 22-year-old forward who scored five goals in all competitions this season and was last on target at Teddy during the 3-1 victory over Hapoel Jerusalem in January, will lead Maccabi’s attack.
On the substitutes bench Deila welcomed back into the squad midfielder Issouf Sissokho who recovered from an injury and Emir Sahiti who returned to Israel. The duo, were named amongst the substitutes together with Melika, Sagiv Jehezkel, Raz Shlomo, Yonas Malede, Noam Ben Harush, Ben Lederman and Lotem Asres.
First Half
Only a total of five thousand fans were allowed to attend due to the restrictions of the Home Front Command but those present gave the players a vocal support worthy of the occasion. Maccabi came close to draw first blood as early as the third minute as the ball reached Ido Shahar inside the box. The midfielder flicked a shot which Haifa’s keeper Georgiy Yermakov saved with his foot onto the post before catching the ball at the second attempt. Four minutes later Shahar was at it again as Roy Revivo released Elad Madmon into the box before his cut- back reached Shahar whose effort was punched away by Yermakov. Roi Mishpati was drawn into the action at the opposite end in the 10th minute as he was at full stretch to push out a Manuel Benson dangerous dipping shot.
The deadlock was broken in the 15th minute at the end of a spectacular team effort. Revivo fed Helio Varela down the left before slipping the ball to Madmon whose low cross was swept home by Dor Peretz. Maccabi’s lead didn’t last long as Haifa were back on level terms within three minutes. A long ball by Abdulaye Seck caught Maccabi’s defense flat before Ethan Azoulay left Hetor Dos Santos behind him and blasted a shot into the top corner.
Itamar Noy was booked on the half hour mark for tugging Kenji Gorre just inside Maccabi’s half. Six minutes later Shahar was booked as well for a professional foul on Gorre but within a minute Maccabi came close to restore their lead. Varela broke down the left and fed Madmon who shrugged off Abdoulaye Seck before sending a back heel which rolled between the legs of Lisav Eissat to free Peretz. With only Haifa’s keeper to beat Maccabi’s captain had his shot saved by Yermakov to deny Madmon what would have been a glorious assist. A dangerous Seck header forced Mishpati to a spectacular save at the near post. But at the opposite end, the crossbar denied Revivo as his chip to the far post eluded Yermakov and rolled on the frame of the goal before Peretz had his rebound blocked. On the brink of halftime Noy managed to block a Seck effort as Sapir Berman’s whistle sent both teams to regroup during the break.
Second Half
The second half began where the first one left off as Haifa looked dangerous mostly from set pieces. In the 56th minute Deila made three changes as Raz Shlomo replaced Heitor, Issouf Sissokho came on for Noy while Emir Sahiti was introduced for Osher Davida. The impact was almost instant as Sahiti’s pressure on Haifa’s defense gifted Madmon the ball as the young forward gained control and blasted a shot which was deflected out for a corner. Maccabi took the lead from the resulting corner as Revivo curled a pinpoint cross to pick Tyrese Asante whose header at the far post put Maccabi in front.
Deila’s side continued their pressure and in the 62nd minute Peretz slipped the ball to Shahar whose attempt of a cut back was blocked by the arm of Seck. Berman didn’t spot the handball initially, but VAR intervened and called the referee to the screen. A penalty was awarded before Shahar stepped up but his spot kick which could have increased Maccabi’s lead cleared the crossbar. The end-to-end action continued as Mishpati pulled a stunning goalmouth save before Seck bundled the ball in. But the referee assistant raised his flag for offside and the goal was disallowed.
In the 76th minute Maccabi managed to get that two goal lead at the end of deadly counterattack. Madmon turned his man near the halfway line before releasing Shahar who continued to Varela. The Cape Verde winger spotted Revivo making the overlap run as he slipped him the ball before Revivo squeezed his shot from a tight angle that beat Yermakov. Shahar bowed out and was replaced by Ben Lederman on 77 as Deila added a fresh pair of legs into the midfield. In the 86th minute Deila made his fifth substitution with Noam Ben Harush coming on for Varela. The fourth official indicated seven minutes of added time, and with two minutes left a goal mouth scramble saw Haifa claimed the ball had crossed the line. VAR checked the incident before awarding Haifa’s Silva Kangani a goal. Haifa tried desperately to level the score and even sent Yermakov forward for corners, but Maccabi defended the narrow lead to the end and celebrated a place in the final against Be’ersheva which will also be played at Teddy on may 26th.
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.
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.
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.”
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