The 27-year-old midfielder spoke ahead of the game against Hapoel Be’ersheva which could see Maccabi return to winning ways after three winless matches: “We must recover quickly from those matches we are currently experiencing whether that be good or not so good” Peretz said. After suffering their first defeat in 11 matches against Maccabi Netanya, Peretz said: “We recovered quickly from the defeat against Netanya, we learned from our mistakes and a dat after the game we were already focused only on the game against Be’ersheva.”

 

On his importance for the team, Peretz said: “I am here to help the team and do my best. If I have a poor game, it effects the team just like any other player has a poor match, it effects the team. We are one united team, one unit and we need everything in this battle. I simply want us to be there, every player, in every moment, until the end of the season, because we have our targets and are not giving up on them.”

On the race for the league title, Peretz said: “Every match is a chance for us to be back in tbe title race all the way till the end. We have a chance to narrow the gap and chase the leaders in a strong way. Every game is a chance to win three points and narrow the gap – this is clearly in our hands.”

Knowing the strengths of Be’ersheva, Peretz summed up: “We should expect a high tempo match and show up with the same level of aggressiveness and intensity. This is what I expect of us”.

Maccabi’s goalkeeper Daniel Peretz faced the media at the end of the 2-1 defeat away to Maccabi Netanya and said: “We are already on a run of three winless matches as things are not working in the way we want, are trying and working on”.

The goalkeeper, who conceded twice in the second half, remained bold as he added: “We are not showing enough character to kill off matches in our favor. Even if we are not playing good enough we must still know how to be there at the critical moments of the game.”

“Today we should have been more courageous, a meaner team and play more forward. We didn’t exploit enough of the spaces we had today” Peretz said. “We created some half chances and maybe we had some problems in the final third of the pitch. Maybe with a bit more concentration we could have been more dangerous. In the second half we conceded a goal which then made it more difficult to attack. We played against a quality side which is very aggressive. They won most of the duals and we simply didn’t create enough”.

Preview

Maccabi arrived at the MD22 ONE ZERO League encounter away to inform Maccabi Netanya aiming to return to winning ways following the two draws in the previous two matches.

Maccabi, currently third in the table, eight adrift of the league leaders and four behind second place Hapoel Be’ersheva – a week before hosting the Southerners at Bloomfield stadium.

With his side facing Netanya that are unbeaten in their last six league matches and nine in all competitions, Maccabi’s coach, Aitor Karanka, made a single change from the side which was held to a draw by Sakhnin. Ofir Davidzada stepped into the side at left back with Enric Saborit replacing Nir Bitton at the heart of defence. Derrick Luckassen partnered Saborit as the second central defender in front of goalkeeper Daniel Peretz while Andre Geraldes completed the back-four at right back. Dan Glazer and Dor Peretz were assigned to the midfield engine room with Gabi Kanichowsky and Parfait Guiagon on both wings. Eran Zahavi led the team out wearing the captain’s armband as the veteran marksman spearheaded the attack and continued his partnership with Djordje Jovanovic which saw the duo bag 37 goals in all competitions.

With Daniel Tenenbaum still nursing a back strain, Yonatan Cohen out with a hamstring injury and Maor Kandil serving a one-match touchline ban, Karanka, included new signing Rares Ilye in the squad for the first time as he named the 19-year-old Romanian winger amongst the substitutes. Alongside Ilye, who waited for his chance to make his Maccabi debut, Karanka had Or Yitzhak, Joris van Overeem, Sheran Yeini, Avi Rikan, Eyal Golasa, Dor Turgeman, Nir Bitton and Matan Hozez.

First Half

In what has almost become a trademark of encounters between the two sides, the match began at a high tempo and battles for each ball at the centre of the park. The hosts came close to draw first blood in the seventh minute as Maccabi’s defence struggled to clear a corner before Igor Zlatanovic flashed a header wide of the post.

Eran Zahavi got a chance at the opposite end as he raced onto a loose ball, but the 35-year-old’s right-foot volley was easily collected by Netanya’s goal-keeper Itamar Nitzan.

Gabi Kanichowsky on the left wing and Parfait Guiagon on the opposite right flank tried supplying some width to Maccabi’s game which didn’t produce any end product. In the 26th minute Ofir Davidzada and Kanichowsky combined well down the left before the ball reached Dor Peretz whose shot sailed over the crossbar. Shai Konstantin was booked for mistimed tackle on Dan Glazer in the 29th minute but Kanichowsky free kick was cleared.

Moments later, a Davidzada corner was flicked by Saborit into the path of Peretz whose effort cleared the crossbar once again. At the opposite end, a combination of Daniel Peretz, Davidzada and the crossbar produced a goalmouth clearance to rescue Maccabi from conceding as somehow Patrick Twumasi’s effort was cleared off the line. While Maccabi struggled to carve an opening, Netanya continued to look dangerous as Aviv Avraham tried a shot from long distance only for his effort to shave the top of the goal.

Second Half

With no goals scored in the first half, Aitor Karanka, and his Netanya counterpart, Ran Kozukh, didn’t make any changes to personnel as both teams emerged unchanged for the restart.

Two minutes later, an Eran Zahavi fierce drive struck Palmin Galabov with Netanya’s central defender requiring treatment before being replaced shortly after by Yuval Sadeh.

Maccabi reached their best chance so far in the 54th minute as an early Davidzada through ball released Zahavi down the left flank. Zahavi’s square ball found Djordje Jovanovic whose first time effort forced Nitzan to a spectacular save. But even if the Serbian’s shot would have beaten the keeper, the goal wouldn’t have counted as the linesman raised his flag for offside. Two minutes later Netanya took the lead with Liran Rotman firing Avraham’s cut-back from inside the area past Peretz.
Karanka reacted with a double substitution in the 61st minute as Kanichowsky and Guiagon bowed out and were replaced by Matan Hozez and Rares Ilye who made is Israeli debut.

Eyal Golasa came in for Glazer in the 79^th minute as Karanka made his third substitution adding a fresh pair of legs into his midfield.

In the 81st minute Netanya doubled their lead in controversial circumstances and spectacular fashion. Referee Nael Oudah waived Hozez’s claims for a foul inside the centre circle before Twumasi launched a long range dipping effort which went in off the post to beat Peretz. In the 87^th minute, Oudah awarded Maccabi a free kick on the edge of the area, allowing Zahavi to curl his shot past Nitzan, and cut the deficit with his 14^th league goal and 20^th in all competitions.

The goal gave Maccabi hope of salvaging a point as even Daniel Peretz joined the attack during one of the corners in the closing stages. Netanya almost exploited the situation and added further misery as from one of those corners they charged forward towards and scored to the empty goal. But Twumasi’s effort was ruled offside. The full time whistle ended Maccabi’s 17 match long unbeaten run in all competitions, but dealt a big blow to any championship aspirations.

A victory against Hapoel Be’ersheva at Bloomfield next week, could see Maccabi cut the deficit and return to the title race shortly before the top Playoff gets underway.

  

Maccabi Netanya faced Maccabi in the league for 148 matches of which Maccabi won 73, lost 36 and drawn 39 with a total goal tally of 243-157.

Over the years Maccabi recorded 1106 league victories. Against Netanya (73), Maccabi recorded the largest amount of victories with Maccabi Haifa (72) second and Maccabi Petah Tikva (68) third.

Maccabi away record in 70 league matches against Netanya is 26 victories, 25 defeats and 19 matches were drawn with a goal tally of 103-97.

Since the Netanya stadium was opened in 2012, Maccabi played 81 league matches at the stadium. During the refurbishment of Bloomfield stadium, Maccabi relocated to Netanya and hosted 58 league matches between 2016 – 2019. In ten years of playing league matches at that venue, Maccabi were the visitors on 23 other matches. With 59 victories, 10 defeats and 12 draws, Maccabi’s success rate at the Netanya stadium currently stands on 78% – the highest of the 20 clubs to play 3 matches or more at that venue.

Maccabi’s highest victory at Netanya was a 6-0 victory over Hapoel Hadera on MD2 earlier this season.

The highest victory Maccabi recorded at Netanya was a 5-0 win over Hapoel Tel Aviv in the 2016/17 season.

Vidar Kjartansson is Maccabi’s leading goal scorer at the Netanya stadium with 27 goals in all competitions.