Roy Revivo delivered two assists to take his tally to 11 this season and added a goal to lead Maccabi to an emphatic 4-0 victory over Hapoel Petah Tikva. The 22-year-old full back related to the complex few days the club underwent since the defeat to Beitar Jerusalem and the departure of Head Coach Ronny Deila: “We went through three not-so-simple days. To be honest, it was a bit frustrating because Ronny was a coach who was very connected to the players and many liked him.” Despite that, the defender emphasized the squad’s professionalism: “Football is dynamic, a lot of things happen and we need to move forward and play. There’s no choice.”

On work under Kenny Miller, who stepped up from the role of assistant coach to interim head coach, and led the team to victory, Revivo said: “I really like Kenny regardless of the situation. I think he has that passion that makes us want to fight for him and give everything on the pitch, and I think we saw that today.”

Shortly before the halftime whistle Tyrese Asante was assisted by Revivo for Maccabi’s second goal, as he revealed: “He told me he wanted me to just touch the ball and then he would shoot. I told him ‘no’, because I saw the space open-up and decided in that moment that he should shoot. I know he has a good strike and I’m happy for him.”

When asked about his attacking contribution Revivo remained modest: “Thank God, I try to help the team. I am a defender, and assists and goals are my bonus.”

Now, the focus of Maccabi is already on the big derby against Hapoel Tel Aviv on Saturday: “We prepare for the derby like any other match, maybe even a bit more, because, like you said, a derby is a derby, and that’s everything.”

Preview

Three days after the 4-2 defeat away to Beitar Jerusalem, Maccabi returned to Bloomfield stadium for the MD31 WINNER League home match against Hapoel Petah Tikva. After 48 turbulent hours that saw Ronny Deila depart and Kenny Miller take charge as interim coach, Maccabi will aim to bounce back and return to winning ways. The defeat to Beitar, Maccabi’s sixth of the season kept the team third in the table with 58 points, eight adrift of second place Hapoel Be’ersheva and nine behind leaders Beitar.

Miller, welcomed back from suspension Ali Camara and Osher Davida but will be forced to be without Issouf Sissokho who was sent off at Teddy and will also miss Saturday’s Tel Aviv derby. Camara returned to the starting line up at the heart of defense as the Guinean central defender replaced Heitor dos Santos to partner Raz Shlomo. Tyrese Asante on the right and Roy Revivo on the left completed Maccabi’s defensive line in front of goalkeeper Ofek Melika. Itamar Noy stepped into the anchorman role replacing the suspended Sissokho and behind Maccabi’s two leading scorers Ido Shahar and Dor Peretz. Helio Varela and Emir Sahiti were named by Miller as the two wingers with Saied Abu Farchi leading the line.

On the bench alongside goalkeeper Roi Mishapti and dos Santos, Miller named Kervin Andrade, Sagiv Jehezkel, Kristijan Belic, Elad Madmon, Noam Ben Harush, Ben Lederman and Osher Davida.

First Half

Maccabi couldn’t have wished for a better start as they took the lead after 70 seconds and in the first time they entered Petah Tikva’s box. Saied Abu Farchi released Emir Sahiti down the right before the Kosovar winger sent a delicate chip which was nodded home by Dor Peretz. Petah Tikva’s keeper Omer Katz didn’t get a chance but was forced to pick the ball out of the net with his first touch. Peretz on the other hand celebrated his 14th league goal and 17 in all competitions this season.

Peretz was inches away from scoring a second within a couple of minutes while Abu Farchi also didn’t connect onto a ball which would have left him in a great position to score. On the stroke of halftime Sahiti latched on a Yonatan Cohen sloppy back pass before being fouled on the edge of the area by Itay Rotman. Yoav Mizrahi awarded Maccabi a free kick before a well drilled set piece resulted with Maccabi’s second. Ido Shahar jumped over the ball and Revivo rolled it into the path of Tyrese Asante whose low drive was spilled by Katz to double Maccabi’s lead. Asante, who scored at this exact minute against Beitar celebrated a second goal in three days and fourth in all competitions while Revivo added another assist to reach a remarkable 10 in the league alone.

Second Half

No changes were made by either side after the interval as the second half resumed with Maccabi continuing to dominate. Time after time Sahiti, Varela and Revivo kept feeding Abu Farchi and Peretz with balls but none resulting with a clear chance. Abu Farchi carved Petah Tikva’s defense with a through ball to Peretz but the visitors’ managed to clear the danger. Shortly after, the 19-year-old striker sent a square ball that rolled across the face of goal but none of his teammates was able to connect. Right on the hour mark Peretz had a sight on goal as the captain pulled the trigger, but Katz managed to equal his effort and punch the ball away. Miller made a double substitution a minute later as he introduced Sagiv Jehezkel and Elad Madmon for Raz Shlomo and Abu Farchi.

Jehezkel stepped into the right back role with Asante moving across the defense to center-back. Madmon who replaced Abu Farchi almost made an immediate impact as Peretz played him in, but with only Katz to beat, the Maccabi forward saw his shot saved by Petah Tikva’s keeper. Maccabi had the ball in the back of the net on 66 after Peretz tapped in Revivo’s square ball from the goalmouth. But the referee assistant raised his flag for offside and the goal was disallowed denying both Peretz and Revivo a goal and an assist. Miller made another double change in the 73rd minute as Sahiti and Varela both bowed out to a standing ovation and were replaced by Kervin Andrade and Osher Davida. Madmon came even closer on 75 as he reacted first to a ball deep inside Petah Tikva’s box, but his attempt of a volley crashed against the base of the post and rolled wide.

Davida should have scored in the 80th minute after intercepting a pass and charging forward through the middle. Katz managed to save the winger’s shot with his foot and as his defense failed to clear the danger Maccabi were awarded a corner. Shahar floated the resulting corner into the box where Revivo rose above the visitors’ defense to head in Maccabi’s third on the night. This was Shahar’s final contribution as he was replaced by Kristijan Belic in the 84^th minute. Two minutes later Madmon finally got his goal as Revivo picked the ball from Andrade broke into the box and added another assist for Madmon who swept his effort to seal the 4-0 victory. Maccabi’s 18^th victory of the season takes their tally to 61 points as attention now turns to Saturday’s Tel Aviv derby against arch city rivals Hapoel.

Maccabi has faced Hapoel Petah Tikva in 175 matches in all competitions. The overall record currently stands on 90 Maccabi victories 49 Petah Tikva victories and 36 draws with a goal tally of 300-192.   

Maccabi has faced Hapoel Petah Tikva in 134 league matches. The overall record currently stands on 64 Maccabi victories, 38 Petah Tikva victories and 32 draws with a total goal tally of 209-148.

Maccabi’s biggest league victory over Hapoel Petah Tikva (5-1) was recorded in the 2002/03 season. Avi Nimni (2), Eli Biton, Tal Banin, and Rodrigo Goldberg scored Maccabi’s goals.

The biggest victory in all competitions (7-1) was recorded in the 1952 State Cup semi-final. Shmuel Israeli (hat-trick), Shiye Glazer (2), and Yossef Merimovich (2) were all on target.

A total of 365 Maccabi players played for Maccabi against Hapoel Petah Tikva in league matches. Avi Nimni is Maccabi’s record appearances holder with 35 league matches.

Out of 85 different Maccabi players who scored against Petah Tikva in the league, Nimni is also Maccabis top scorer with 26 league goals. The all-time Maccabi top scorer bagged the most goals against Petah Tikva.

Nimni also holds a streak of 7 consecutive matches against Petah Tikva between 1998/99-2001/02 in which he scored at least once per game. During that run Nimni managed to score a total of 10 goals. This is the longest scoring streak by a Maccabi player against a single opponent, tied with Shiye Glazer against Maccabi Haifa (8 goals in 7 consecutive matches between 1954/55-1957/58) and Eran Zahavi against Kiryat Shmona (8 goals in 7 consecutive matches between 2012/13-2014/15).

Throughout history, exactly 50 players featured for both clubs in the top division, including Yonatan Cohen and Nadav Niddam, who currently play for Hapoel Petah Tikva this season.

Maccabi Tel Aviv will host Hapoel Petah Tikva tomorrow (Tuesday) for the WINNER League MD31 at Bloomfield Stadium . Midfielder Itamar Noy shared his thoughts ahead of the match and the players’ desire to prove the team’s true ability at this decisive stage of the season.

On the back of Saturday’s 2-4 defeat away to Beitar Jerusalem, Noy made it clear the team understands the need to respond: “The experience at Teddy stadium wasn’t pleasant at all. We didn’t show the level we expect from ourselves.” Despite the set-back that left Maccabi 11 points adrift of top spot, Noy insisted: “We now have six matches to fix that impression, get back to our way, and perform the way we truly can.”

Despite the disappointment, Noy sees an advantage in the tight schedule, which allows the team to respond quickly on the pitch: “There’s nothing like having another game very soon after a loss. During this run of matches, one day you feel up and the next day down. For us right now, it’s great to have a game every few days. We’re fully focused on tomorrow’s match and will try to get the best possible result.”

Ahead of the return home, Noy emphasized the importance of the yellow crowd at Bloomfield, which the team missed in the last away match: “I think you could see at Teddy how much we missed the fans. Bloomfield is a completely different story. A full Bloomfield with our supporters is an incredible experience, and we’re really looking forward to it tomorrow.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv FC and Head Coach Ronny Deila have mutually agreed that he will take a leave of absence with immediate effect for personal reasons. Kenny Miller will take charge as Interim Head Coach.

Updated fixtures:

MD31:

5.5 Mac. Tel Aviv v Hap. Petah Tikva

6.5 Hap. Tel Aviv v Beitar Jerusalem

6.5 Mac. Haifa v Hap. Be’ersheva

MD32:

9.5 Hap. Petah Tikva v Hap. Be’ersheva

9.5 Mac. Haifa v Beitar Jerusalem

9.5 Hap. Tel Aviv v Mac. Tel Aviv

MD33:

12.5 Hap. Tel Aviv v Hap. Petah Tikva (20:00)

12.5 Beitar Jerusalem v Hap. Be’ersheva

13.5 Mac. Tel Aviv v Mac. Haifa (20:30)

MD34:

15.5 Hap. Tel Aviv v Hap. Be’ersheva (16:00)

16/5 Mac. Haifa v Hap. Petah Tikva

(18:00)

16.5 Mac. Tel Aviv v Beitar Jerusalem (20:30)

MD35:

19.5 Hap. Petah Tikva v Beitar Jerusalem (20:30)

19.5 Hap. Be’ersheva v Mac. Tel Aviv (20:30)

19.5 Mac. Haifa v Hap. Tel Aviv (20:30)

MD36:

23.5 Hap. Petah Tikva v Mac. Tel Aviv

23.5 Beitar Jerusalem v Hap. Tel Aviv

23.5 Hap.Be’ersheva v Mac. Haifa