Category: News

Maccabi beat Netanya 2-0

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Maccabi returned to Bloomfield stadium and host Maccabi Netanya on MD27 for the opening match of the ONE ZERO League Playoff round. Currently ranked 3rd in the table with 52 points, Maccabi will aim to return to winning ways following last week’s 1-1 draw away to Hapoel Haifa and the 2-1 home defeat to Hapoel Jerusalem.

The disappointing two recent results saw Maccabi slip within six points from 2nd place Hapoel Be’ersheva and 10 from the leaders Maccabi Haifa but with the top six teams playing each other and 30 points still left to play for and the – nothing is over.
Netanya finished the regular league season in 4th place with 37 points as last week’s 2-0 defeat to Ashdod was their first in 12 matches since the 2-0 defeat to Maccabi Haifa on MD15.

Aitor Karanka made three changes from the side which was held to a 1-1 at Haifa as Derrick Luckassen stepped into the side in place of Nir Bitton who sat out his one match touchline ban following the red card he received at Haifa. Enric Saborit partnered Luckassen as the two central defenders with Andre Geraldes and Ofir Davidzada completing the defensive line in front of goalkeeper Daniel Peretz. Dan Glazer replaced Eyal Golasa in the midfield engine room alongside Dor Peretz with Dan Biton handed a rare start in a more attacking role. Parfait Guiagon who was called to the Ivory Coast U23 national side, kept his place in support of the two front-men Eran Zahavi and Djordje Jovanovic.

On the bench, Karanka named Tomer Alon as the substitute keeper alongside Rares Ilie, Gabi Kanichowsky, Avi Rikan, Yonatan Cohen, Maor Kandil, Shahar iven, Dor Turgeman and Matan Hozez.

First Half

Just like every other encounter between Maccabi and Netanya, the match began with battles in midfield as none of the sides managed to stamp their authority from the start. In the 11th minute Parfait Guiagon charged down the left flank and broke into the area but was tackled by a Netanya defender. The resulting counter attack at the opposite end saw Ofir Davidzada booked by referee Gal Leibovic for a foul onOz Bilu. Netanya came close to draw first blood as Boris Enow flashed a fierce low drive wide of Daniel Peretz’s post.

In the 21st minute Maccabi had the ball in the back of the net after Djordje Jovanovic headed Dan Biton’s free kick across the face of goal before Dor Peretz headed home. But Maccaabi’s celebrations were short-lived as VAR intervened, spotted an offside, ruled the goal out to deny Peretz and Maccabi a goal.

Right on the half hour mark Enow was booked for pulling back Biton 25 meters away from Netanya’s goal. Biton picked himself up and unleashed a thunderbolt which rocketed into the top corner, giving Itamar Nitzan no chance at all. Eran Zahavi almost doubled the lead three minutes later as he sent a half volley which bounced past Nitzan but crept to the wrong side of the post.

Maccabi doubled their lead in spectacular fashion on 38 as a lethal counter attack saw Davidzada, Guiagon neutralise Netanya’s pressure and break out of defence. Zahavi received the ball near the halfway line and switched to Biton who charged to the byline before sending a chip to Zahavi whose volley from point blank range made it 2-0.

Inside injury time Netanya were reduced to 10 men after Jovanovic stole the ball from Plamin Galabov and charged towards the area before being tripped from behind by Raz Shlomo. Leibovic showed Shlomo an immediate red and sent him for an early shower while Zahavi sent the resulting free kick over the crossbar.

Second Half

Aitor Karanka didn’t make any changes at the interval and neither did his counterpart Ran Kozokh as the second half began where the first one left off. Jovanovic should have taken the match beyond Netanya’s reach as he was sent clear through by Biton in the 52nd minute. But the Serbian forward who only had Nitzan to beat managed to hook his effort over the crossbar.

Peretz forced Nitzan to full stretch as Maccabi’s midfielder sent a dangerous left foot shot from the edge of the area in the 53rd minute.

Maccabi kept pushing forward in an attempt to score a third but Nitzan kept Netanya in the game as he pulled a reflex save to deny Jovanovic’s close range effort on 57 following a Davidzada’s cross.

A minute after the hour mark Zahavi had an effort blocked by a Netanya defender and Biton also missing out on the lose ball. Karanka made his first changes four minutes later, with Guiagon and Jovanovic bowing out to a standing ovation as the duo were replaced by Avi Rikan and Dor Turgeman.

Karanka made another double change in the 71st minute as Maor Kandil and Rares Ilie replaced Davidzada and Biton who got the best cheer on the night by the 16,602 fans at Bloomfield. Zahavi flashed another dipping shot which narrowly missed the target in the 84th minute as Maccabi tried exploiting their numerical advantage against a Netanya side that lost their coach to a red card as well.

Turgeman showed a few nice touches as one of them took him into the area before a last gasp sliding tackle denied the youngster from directing his shot on target. Shahar Piven replaced Enric Saborit as Karanka made his fifth and final substitution inside injury time. Zahavi sent a shot which landed on the roof of the net before the final whistle ended the contest with only two goals but three points.

A numbers game: Maccabi highest number of points in the Playoff

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The 2022/23 league campaign is the 20th season which features a Playoff at the end of the regular season.   

This will be the 18th successive league campaign Maccabi will be playing in the Top Playoff which is the highest appearance record amongst all Israeli clubs. Only in the first two seasons of the Playoff being introduced (1987/88 and 1988/89) Maccabi featured in the top flight’s second tier Playoff.

Hapoel Be’ersheva has the second longest successive run in the Top Playoff (after Maccabi) as this campaign will be their 10th in succession.

Maccabi’s highest victory in the Playoff was a 7-0 win over Beitar Jerusalem recorded in the 2000/01 campaign. Avi Nimni (2), Rodrigo Goldberg (2), Dedi Ben Dayan, Guy Zarfati and Baruch Dego scored Maccabi’s goals.

The highest attendance ever in the Playoff was 33,000 fans recorded at the championship crowning match of the 2012/13 season against Ramat Hasharon at the Ramat Gan national stadium. Maccabi secured the league title with a 2-0 victory four matches before the end of the season.

Saturday’s opponents Maccabi Netanya faced Maccabi in the Top Playoff on 7 occasions (1991, 1992, 2011, 2012, 2018, 2019 and in 2021/22). Maccabi’s record against Netanya in the Playoff currently stands on 8 victories, 3 draws and 1 defeat.

Since the introduction of the Playoff under the current format in 11 seasons ago (2012/13) the top flight has kept its’ structure for the longest stretch of time in Israel’s history.

In 100 Playoff matches since the 2012/13 season, Maccabi won 52, drawn 30 and lost 18 with a total goal tally of 165-87.

Maccabi’s record in the opening Playoff match over the past 10 seasons currently stands on: 7 victories, 2 draws and a single defeat with a goal tally of 14-14.

Of the 6 teams to have qualified to the top playoff: Maccabi Haifa, Hapoel Be’ersheva, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Netanya, Ashdod and Hapoel Jerusalem – only the latter will be making their first ever appearance in the top Playoff.

Maccabi’s most successful Playoff campaigns were in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 seasons both resulting with 23 points (7 victories, 2 draws and 1 defeat). Maccabi also had an unbeaten Playoff campaign in 2015/16 season which resulted with 20 points (5 victories and 5 draws).

The top goal scorer for Maccabi in the Playoff is Eran Zahavi with 31 goals to his name since the 2012/13 season.

Peretz: “We are tested at challenging situations like this”

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Maccabi will begin the Playoff with a home match against 4th place Maccabi Netanya aiming to return to winning ways following the draw against Hapoel Haifa and the defeat to Hapoel Jerusalem. Dor Peretz spoke ahead of the match and said: “We face a totally different match against Netanya which is very messy with plenty of turnovers because they are pressing really high. We are preparing for this match in a totally different manner from the way we prepared to the previous match. We are preparing for this match and as long as we do what the coach asks us to do on the pitch I believe we will win.”

With the team currently struggling to bounce back and dig themselves out of difficult situations, Peretz, said: “We are the first ones to be disappointed with the situation, that we can’t win matches where the situation is challenging even when we take an early 1-0 or 2-0 lead. We are the first ones to be disappointed and need to take responsibility on such situations. We need to show a lot more character, to clinch such matches even when we are not on top of our form – to collect these points which is important at this stage of the season.”

The 27-year-old added: “When the situation is challenging there is a higher learning curve for us as players. Dealing with challenging situations is where we are tested” Peretz said. “When we led the table with 30 points under Vladimir Ivic and everything was comfortable, is not the time to test your resilience. A team is tested when the situation is tough, and at challenging times I expect us to show up at every match, and rise for the occasion.”

Peretz, who grew up and won trophies at Maccabi but also experienced some difficult spells throughout his career, summed up: “Everyone who is part of this club, is drawn to it to an extent it becomes an integral part of his life. The coach sits here besides me and despite the fact he has only been here for just over two months – one can see how important this club is to him. We would obviously not want to be in the situation that we are right now, but we must all take responsibility as players and staff to ensure this season ends with a better taste.”

Playoff fixtures announced

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The regular ONE ZERO Digital Bank League season came to a close at the weekend and the identity of the six clubs in the top Playoff has been confirmed. As a result, the Israel Professional Football League published the fixtures for the forthcoming 10 Playoff matches which begins this weekend and will be played as a round robin format.

Maccabi begin the Playoff with home match against 4th place Maccabi Netanya on MD27 this Saturday at 17:30 before for a 10-day international break. On MD28 Maccabi travel to Teddy stadium for a match against Hapoel Jerusalem that finished the regular season in 5th place. MD29 which is scheduled for midweek, will see Maccabi host leaders Maccabi Haifa at Bloomfield before travelling to Turner stadium at the weekend for the MD30 match against 2nd place Hapoel Be’ersheva.

Maccabi return to Bloomfield on MD31 and host Ashdod which was the final club to enter the Playoff at 6th spot.

The corresponding fixtures will see Maccabi travel to Netanya on MD32, host Hapoel Jerusalem on MD33 before facing Beitar Jerusalem for the State Cup Semi Final at Sammy Ofer.

A few days later Maccabi play another match at this same venue as they face Maccabi Haifa on MD34 before returning to Bloomfield to host Hapoel Be’ersheva on MD35. Maccabi will end the 2022/23 season with an away match to Ashdod on MD36 as the confirmed dates and kick-off times of MD34-MD36 will be published at a later date.

Playoffs: (Final dates and kick-off times of MD34-36 TBC)

MD27:

18.3.23 Hapoel Be’ersheva vs Hapoel Jerusalem (Turner, 15:00)
18.3.23 Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Maccabi Netanya (Bloomfield, 17:30)
18.3.23 Maccabi Haifa vs Ashdod SC (Sammy Ofer, 20:00)

MD28: 

1.4.23 Hapoel Jerusalem vs Maccabi Tel Aviv (18:30)
1.4.23 Ashdod SC vs Maccabi Netanya (Ashdod, 20:00)
1.4.23 Maccabi Haifa vs Hapoel Be’ersheva (Sammy Ofer, 20:00)

MD29:

4.4.23 Maccabi Netanya vs Hapoel Jerusalem (Netanya, 18:30)
4.4.23 Hapoel Be’ersheva vs Ashdod SC (Turner, 20:00)
4.4.23 Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Maccabi Haifa (Bloomfield, 20:30)

MD30:
8.4.23 Ashdod SC vs Hapoel Jerusalem (Ashdod, 17:30)
8.4.23 Maccabi Haifa vs Maccabi Netanya (Sammy Ofer, 20:00)
10.4.23 Hapoel Be’ersheva vs Maccabi Tel Aviv (Turner, 20:30)

MD31:
15.4.23 Hapoel Jerusalem vs Maccabi Haifa (Teddy, 18:30)
15.4.23 Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Ashdod SC (Bloomfield, 20:00)
16.4.23 Maccabi Netanya vs Hapoel Be’ersheva (Netanya, 20:30)

MD32: 
22.4.23 Hapoel Jerusalem vs Hapoel Be’ersheva (Teddy, 18:30)
22.4.23 Maccabi Netanya vs Maccabi Tel Aviv (Netanya, 20:00)
23.4.23 Ashdod SC vs Maccabi Haifa (Ashdod, 20:30)

MD33:
29.4.23 Maccabi Netanya vs Ashdod SC (Netanya, 18:30)
29.4.23 Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Hapoel Jerusalem (Bloomfield, 20:00)
1.5.23 Hapoel Be’ersheva vs Maccabi Haifa (Turner, 20:30)

State Cup Semi Final:
2.5.23 Ashdod SC vs Maccabi Netanya (Bloomfield, 20:30)
3.5.23 Beitar Jerusalem vs Maccabi Tel Aviv (Sammy Ofer, 20:30)

MD34 May 6th

Maccabi Haifa vs Maccabi Tel Aviv
Ashdod SC vs Hapoel Be’ersheva
Hapoel Jerusalem vs Maccabi Netanya

MD35 May 13th 

Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Hapoel Be’ersheva
Hapoel Jerusalem vs Ashdod SC
Maccabi Netanya vs Maccabi Haifa

MD36 May 20th 

Ashdod SC vs Maccabi Tel Aviv
Maccabi Haifa vs Hapoel Jerusalem
Hapoel Be’ersheva vs Maccabi Netanya

When the Foundation hosted the ‘Pinhas Ayalon’ school kids

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Throughout the year, the Maccabi Tel Aviv Foundation does extensive work in the community and ahead of tomorrow’s Good Deeds Day (March 14th) which is marked globally, we took the opportunity to do something good.

Based on the simple idea that every single person can do something good, large or small, to improve the lives of others and positively change the world – the Maccabi Foundation hosted kids from the Pinhas Ayalon school for an eventful day. During the visit of the Kiryat Shalom training complex, the kids took part in a training session which was led by coaches of the Club’s Youth Academy. The kids then met with the first team players and to end the day with a good taste, they all sat down for lunch donated by the club’s sponsor Pizza Prego.

Watch the video:

Leo Goldhar has passed away

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Maccabi Tel Aviv FC mourns the death of Leo Goldhar and extends its sincerest condolences to the club’s owner Mitch Goldhar and to the rest of the Goldhar family.

The management, staff, players and employees of Maccabi Tel Aviv FC send our deepest condolences to Mitch and the entire Goldhar family upon hearing of the the death of the family patriarch, who passed away in Toronto.

MACCABI HELD BY HAPOEL HAIFA TO 1-1 DRAW

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Preview

Maccabi traveled to Sammy Ofer stadium for the MD26 ONE ZERO League match against Hapoel Haifa aiming to bounce back from last week’s 2-1 defeat to Hapoel Jerusalem at Bloomfield. The defeat meant that Maccabi will end the regular season in third spot and will not be able to improve their position in the standings regardless of the result in the early Saturday kick-off match against the Haifaites’. Roni Levy’s side are 8th in the table with 29 points and are winless in their last three matches. But since losing to Maccabi in the corresponding fixture Hapoel Haifa only lost three matches to Hapoel Be’ersheva, Maccabi Netanya and Maccabi Haifa.

Maccabi’s coach Aitor Karanka made two changes from last week’s starting line-up as Ofir Davidzada who recovered from his injury returned to the side at left-back with Enric Saborit pushing into the heart of defence. Nir Bitton partnered Saborit as the two central defenders with Andre Geraldes completing the defensive line in-front of goalkeeper Daniel Peretz. Eyal Golasa and Dor Peretz were named by Karanka in the midfield engine room with Gabi Kanichowsky and Parfait Guiagon in wider roles of a four-man midfield. Eran Zahavi led the team out wearing the captain’s armband as the veteran marksman partnered Djordje Jovanovic upfront.

On the bench, Karanka, named Or Yitzhak, Dan Glazer, Rares Ilie, Avi Rikan, Yonatan Cohen, Maor Kandil, Shahar Piven and Dor Turgeman.

First Half

Maccabi began the match with pressure on Hapoel Haifa right from the start and came close to score as early as the fourth minute. Parfait Guiagon slid the ball to Djordje Jovanovic whose attempt to lift the ball over Ohad Levita forced the keeper to stretch himself and push the ball out for corner. In the 12th minute Ofir Davidzada’s cross from the left found Gabi Kanichowsky at the far post but the diminutive midfielder couldn’t keep his volley down.

In the 21st minute Maccabi had the ball in the back of the net after Nir Bitton headed Kanichowsky’s corner towards the far post before Jovanovic sent a powerful volley home. But the goal was disallowed after the linesman spotted the Serbian forward in an offside position, a decision which was confirmed by VAR as well. A last gasp Enric Saborit tackle four minutes later prevented Alon Turgeman from breaking into the area after being put through by Hanan Mamman.

Right on the half hour mark Eran Zahavi made his first threat on goal as he received the ball from Davidzada inside the area, turned his defender and snapped a shot which was saved by Levita. Three minutes later Maccabi took the lead as Bitton rose high to meet Kanichowsky’s corner and headed the ball home for his first goal in Maccabi’s colors.

In the 40th minute Haifa’s defence struggled to clear a Jovanovic chip which was aimed at Kanichowsky near the goalmouth, but as the ball fell to Dor Peretz his attempt of a volley sailed high. Muhammad Kamara was the first player to be shown a yellow card by referee Aviad Shiloah while Liran Sardal entered his book for a foul on Eyal Golasa shortly after.

On the stroke of halftime, Haifa came close to level the score as Guy Mizrahi sent a dangerous cross from the right but Bitton blocked Turgeman’s volley for a corner before Daniel Peretz would be required to make a save.

Second Half

With no changes to personnel, the second half began where the first one left off as Maccabi tried scoring a second. In the opening minutes, Jovanovic teed-up Zahavi who sent his effort over the crossbar. Two minutes later, Guiagon, dribbled into the area from the left leaving two defenders behind him before the Ivorian fired his effort against the side netting.

Maccabi were reduced to 10 men in the 56th minute after Bitton was shown a straight red card for a high tackle on Kamara leaving to team with a man down for the reminder of the match. Aitor Karanka reacted instantly as Shahar Piven was introduced for Kanichowsky joining Saborit at the heart of defence.

In the 64th minute Haifa exploited their numerical advantage as two of their substitutes which were introduced moments earlier combined for the equalizer. Tomer Yossefi picked Eliel Peretz near the edge of the area before the former Maccabi midfielder sent an accurate low drive which bounced beyond the reach of Peretz to level the score.

Maccabi’s custodian was positioned well to deny another Haifa substitute, Camejy Antoine from heading the hosts into the lead in the 69th minute. Two minutes later Karanka made a double substitution as Maor Kandil came in for Andre Geraldes sat right back while Zahavi bowed out and was replaced by Yonatan Cohen.

Guiagon flashed a shot which deflected out for a corner while at the opposite end Kamara blasted his effort which narrowly cleared Peretz’ crossbar.

Karanka made his two final changes on 83 minute as Golasa and Jovanovic were replaced by Dan Biton and Dor Turgeman for the closing stages.

The impact of Karanka’s substitutes was almost instant as Turgeman was fouled near the touchline before Biton whipped in the free kick. Saborit rose high above Haifa’s defence to meet Biton’s cross but the Spanish defender guided his header wide. Maccabi tried desperately to grab a late winner as Turgeman kept on looking dangerous going forward, but Haifa managed to hang on and salvage the point.

With Be’ersheva hosting Kiryat Shmona on Sunday and Maccabi Haifa playing Hapoel Tel Aviv at Bloomfield on Monday – Maccabi will be hoping that results will go in there favor in order not to lose touch with the leading duo.