“Sakhnin are a very good, tough and stubborn side. We scored the first and second goals which in my opinion was the difference from Saturday’s draw at Kiryat Shmona. We put away our chances and I am delighted with the way we looked today and I hope to continue and improve. We qualified to the next stage which is the most important thing”.

On the departure of coach Vladimir Ivic, Zahavi said: “We heard about it but it wasn’t official yet we as players are not naive and try not to relate to it too much. what I would like to say is that the players and coach deserve a good word. He was a professional until the final second, demanded from the players and himself in every training session and every match. These things can happen in football, as coaches come and go while our work needs to be done on the pitch time after time. We represent a massive club with a very big fan base”.

Preview:

Three days after being held to a 1-1 draw away to Ironi Kiryat Shmona, Maccabi’s coach, Vladimir Ivic, made five changes to his starting line-up for the State Cup Round of 16 tie against Bnei Sakhnin at Bloomfield.

Enric Saborit and Shahar Piven who both suspended against Kiryat Shmona, returned to the heart of defence at the expense of Sheran Yeinin and Nir Bitton as the duo lined-up alongside Derrick Luckassen as the three central defenders in front of goalkeeper Daniel Peretz. With Ivic making four of the five changes in his defensive line, Andre Geraldes and Ofir Davidzada returned to the starting line-up at right and left wing-back respectively. Dor Peretz and Gabi Kanichowsky kept their places in Maccabi’s midfield engine room with Oscar Gloukh replacing Parfait Guiagon at the top of the midfield trio. Eran Zahavi led the team out wearing the captain’s armband as the 35-year-old lined-up alongside Djordje Jovanovic upfront.

On the bench together with goalkeeper Daniel Tenenbaum and in his last match in charge of Maccabi, Ivic named Dan Glazer, Joris van Overeem, Parfait Guiagon, Avi Rikan, Yonatan Cohen, Maor Kandil, Dor Turgeman and Nir Bitton.

In a desperate attempt to put the disappointing draw at Kiryat Shmona behind them and with more than 10,562 fans at Bloomfield stadium, Maccabi got off to a flying start. Seven minutes Maccabi came close to break the deadlock as Djordje Jovanovic fired a powerful shot which Bnei Sakhnin’s keeper Mahmoud Kandil couldn’t hold onto. Eran Zahavi who reacted first and pounced on the rebound but blasted a left foot shot over the crossbar. Two minutes later as Gabi Kanichowsky was fouled 25 meters away from Kandil’s goal, Zahavi stepped up and blasted an unstoppable free kick which kept Kandil rooted to the ground and almost threatened to tear a hole in the net.
A counter attack in the 19^th minute saw Zahavi charge forward and set-up Oscar Gloukh whose shot was easily collected by Sakhnin’s keeper. Maccabi kept on pushing forward and came close to double the lead two minutes later as Kanichowsky carved the visitors’ defence open and found Gloukh who flashed a shot which crept narrowly wide of the target.

A minute before the half hour mark, a perfectly executed counter attack which began near Maccabi’s penalty area and involved several players ended with Gloukh scoring the second goal. Kanichowsky’s through ball from the halfway line tore Sakhnin’s defence and released Andre Geraldes before the pacey Portuguese right back cut the ball back to Gloukh who blasted the shot into the top corner to make it 2-0.

In the 39^th minute another deadly Maccabi counter attack ended with Gloukh scoring the goal of the night and one which will compete as one of the goals of the season. The 18-year-old forward received the ball from Jovanovic just inside Sakhnin’s area before floating a delicate diagonal chip which sailed over Kandil and into the top corner.
On the stroke of haltime Mohammad Awad was shown a straight red card by referee Snir Levy for a reckless challenge on Gloukh. Maccabi’s young forward was left on the ground clutching his left ankle while Sakhnin were left with 10 men for the rest of the match.

Ivic made his first change after the interval as Kanichowsky who played 90 minutes at Kiryat Shmona on Saturday was replaced by Avi Rikan at the restart.

In the 53^rd minute  Enric Saborit came close to emulate Gloukh’s goal with a chip of his own. But this time round Kandil assisted by his crossbar managed to claw the ball which was floating towards the top corner and deny the Spaniard from joining in the celebration.

A rare Sakhnin attack in the 57^th minute saw Roy Shukrani attempt a long range effort which Daniel Peretz collected with ease.
Two minutes later Ivic made a double substitution as Dan Glazer came on for Dor Peretz while Jovanovic bowed out and was replaced by Dor Turgeman. While the 19-year-old striker is still searching for his first senior goal, less than sixty seconds later he could learn from a true master. Rikan’s cross into the box took a deflection off a Sakhnin defender before Zahavi blasted in a spectacular volley from the penalty spot for his second on the night and Maccabi’s fourth on 61.

Gloukh was given a standing ovation ith his name echoing around Bloomfield stadium as he was replaced by Joris van Overeem in the 64^th minute.

Rikan got his name on the scoresheet as well in the 72^nd minute as the veteran midfielder floated a perfect free kick from the edge of the area to beat Kandil and score Maccabi’s fifth.
Four minutes later Ivic made his fifth and final substitution as Parfait Guiagon replaced Shahar Piven on 76. Guiagon was handed a chance to score almost instantly as he was put through by Zahavi in the 80^th minute only for the Ivorian to snap his shot wide.

Having secured qualification from the Round of 16 Maccabi will have to wait for Thursday’s Quarter Final draw to learn the identity of their opponents which they will face over a two-legged tie.  

Maccabi reached the State Cup Round of 16 on 75 occasions until this season – 60 of which after the State of Israel was established. On 54 attempts Maccabi managed to advance through and reach the Quarter Final stage of the competition.

Our Round of 16 opponents, Bnei Sakhnin, previously met Maccabi four times in the State Cup. Three of these Cup ties were a one-off knockout match while another as a double headed tie in the Quarter Finals of 2019.

The overall tally between Maccabi and Sakhnin in the Cup currently stands on 2-2. The highest stage of the competition both sides met was in the Semi Final of the 2015/16 season which Maccabi won 3-2 at Sammy Ofer. Barak Itzhaki, Eran Zahavi and Tal Ben Chaim were on the scoresheet that night which booked Maccabi’s passage to the final under Peter Bosz.    

Maccabi’s highest victory in the Round of 16 was a 10-0 victory over Maccabi Bar-Kochba Jerusalem in the 1936/37 campaign.

After the State of Israel was established Maccabi’s highest victory was recorded twice a 6-0 wins over Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv (1954/55) and Sektzia Ness Ziona (1959/60).

Only two Maccabi players scored hat tricks in the State Cup Round of 16 – both in ‘Mini’ Tel Aviv derbies. Shimon Yisraeli in the 6-0 victory over Bnei Yehuda (1955) and Eliezer Vilensky in the 4-1 victory over Shimshon Tel Aviv (1962).

Shiye Glazer is Maccabi’s top scorer in the Round of 16 with 7 goals to his name.

Maccabi were dragged into a penalty shoot-out 6 times in this stage of the competition. Four times Maccabi advanced through: Maccabi Ramat Amidar (1974), Ironi Kiryat Shmona (1976, 2022) and Hapoel Ra’anana 2017. Maccabi ended up being eliminated twice after losing the penalty shoot out to Maccabi Petah Tikva (1978) and Beitar Jerusalem (2010).

Tuesday’s Cup tie against Sakhnin will be the first time since 2015 that Maccabi hosts the Round of 16 at Bloomfield when a Barak Itzhaki goal beat Hapoel Ashkelon 1-0. In five of six Round of 16 matches since were played away from home, while Netanya hosted a 4-0 victory over Hapoel Acre in 2019.

Maccabi’s State Cup campaign will continue tomorrow as they host Bnei Sakhnin in the Round of 16 at Bloomfield stadium. On the eve of the match (Monday) Eran Zahavi spoke about the task both he and his teammates are facing.

Two days after being held to a 1-1 draw away to Kiryat Shmona, Eran Zahavi didn’t hide his disappointment from the two dropped points as he reflected on the swift switch between the league and the Cup. “I think we played really well at Kiryat Shmona and created loads of chances so the disappointment from the result is obvious. The Cup is something totally different as matches could evolve this way or the other but we must remain focused in order to advance through. The most important thing in Cup matches is to qualify because no one remembers how you did it. Just like every season at Maccabi Tel Aviv, the Cup is one of our targets as we always challenge for all titles which makes tomorrow’s match a very important one”.

On the fact Maccabi will host the first tie at this stage of the competition since 2015, Zahavi added: “Sakhnin are a very tough side and we respect every opponent that face us. However, we will be playing at Bloomfield in front of our fans so we should secure our place in the next round. Obviously it will be easy and we will have to work very hard to do so which is exactly what we are planning on doing”.

January 3^rd Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Bnei Sakhnin (Bloomfield, 20:00)

Maccabi Tel Aviv will kick-off 2023 as they host Bnei Sakhnin for a Round of 16 State Cup tie at Bloomfield stadium. Maor Kandil’s late winner at Doha awarded Maccabi a 1-0 victory when both teams met in the league earlier this season.

On the same date (3.1) the January transfer window will also open and remain open until February 1^st. Wish to remain updated with whatever is happening ? Download/Update the Official App free of charge, open the notifications and continue following us on our social media platforms and the club’s official website.

January 7^th Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Ashdod SC (Bloomfield, 17:30)

Maccabi’s first ONE ZERO League fixture of 2023 set-up a match against Ashdod SC at the family-friendly kick-off time of 17:30. Following the 1-1 draw away to Kiryat Shmona, Maccabi will aim to return to winning ways on MD17 against the side which held the, to a 0-0 draw earlier this season.

January 16^th Beitar Jerusalem vs Maccabi Tel Aviv (Teddy stadium, 20:30)

Maccabi faces another tough challenge on MD18 with a trip to the capital for a match against in-form Beitar Jerusalem. Earlier this season Maccabi beat Beitar 4-0 in a one side affair at Bloomfield but the Jerusalem side has recently enjoyed a purple patch winning three of their last four league matches and scoring 13 goals in the process.

January 23^rd Maccabi Tel Aviv vs Maccabi Haifa (Bloomfield, 20:30).

Maccabi hosts bitter rivals Maccabi Haifa for another featured match at Bloomfield on MD19 in what is regarded as the Israeli Classico. Maccabi will aim to avenge the 2-0 defeat they suffered at Sammy Ofer stadium earlier this season.  

January 28^th (Final date and kick-off time TBA) Hapoel Tel Aviv vs Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The second Tel Aviv derby of the season will be staged at Bloomfield stadium as Maccabi will be the guests this time on MD20. Three points, local bragging rights will be at stake once again as the previous derby ended with a 3-0 victory.

30% discount on the entire winter collection!

While the Israeli winter is well underway expect a massive 30% discount on the entire Winter Collection for Men, Women, kids and infants during January at the online and official club stores. Are Still here?

100 goals

Maccabi played 52 official matches in 2022 winning 31 drawing 12 and losing 9 with a 100 goals scored and 32 conceded. This is a repeat of the previous year as Maccabi scored a 100 goals in 2021 but managed that in 10 matches more (62).

The last time Maccabi scored more than 100 goals in one calendar year was in 2016 a feat they managed only 8 times in the clubs’ history.

Maccabi’s goal difference (+62) is the eighth best in the club’s history and the best since the 2000/01 season (117-35).

Who did we beat most?

Maccabi recorded the most victories over Hapoel Tel Aviv (4) with a total goal tally of 13 goals scored and 2 conceded.

This is the fourth time Maccabi managed to beat Hapoel Tel Aviv four times or more in one calendar year having done so in 1992, 2013 and 2020.

Maccabi’s highest victory in 2022 was a 6-0 thrashing of Hapoel Hadera on MD2 (29.8.22). This was also Maccabi’s highest victory recorded away home since the 2000/01 season.

Top goals-corers and assists

Forty different players represented Maccabi in all competitions during 2022.

Gabi Kanichowsky and Daniel Peretz made the most appearances with 48 matches each.

Of all Maccabi’s players, Peretz, played most minutes in 2022 as the 22-year-old keeper clocked 4,380 minutes. Enric Saborit who made 45 appearances last year, is second on the list clocking 3,893 minutes.

Twenty one different players scored goals for Maccabi in 2022 with Djordje Jovanovic topping that chart with 24 goals to his name.

Twenty one different Maccabi players also dished out assists in 2022 with Gabi Kanichowsky leading the cahrt with 8 assists in all competitions.

The fastest and late goals scored

Maccabi’s earliest goal last year was also the first goal scored in 2022 – a Dolev Haziza own goal after 48 seconds on January 3^rd in the 3-2 defeat to Maccabi Haifa.

The latest goal scored in 2022 was Djordje Jovanovic’s 98^th minute winner against Hapoel Haifa in November, as overall Maccabi scored 11 goals after the 90^th minute.