Pregame
Maccabi arrived at Doha stadium where they suffered the first defeat on the opening day of the season for a match against a side they failed to beat in two attempts. Five days after the 5-0 victory over Hapoel in the Tel Aviv derby, suspensions and injuries forced Maccabi’s coach Mladen Krstajic to make several changes. With Matan Baltaxa serving a one-match touchline ban, Enric Saborit returned to the left side of defence with Shahar Piven moving to center alongside Josue Sa. Andre Geraldes who made a substitute appearance against Hapoel returned to the starting line-up and completed the back four that protected Daniel Peretz in goal.
Dan Glazer led the team out wearing the captain’s armband as the midfield anchorman. Avi Rikan who scored a brace and set up another in the derby, suffered an ankle injury in training was withdrawn and replaced by Eyal Golasa. Gabi Kanichowsky and Oscar Gloukh were also named by Krstajic in midfield with Djordje Jovanovic and Stipe Perica leading the line upfront.
First Half
In complete contrast to last week’s Tel Aviv derby the atmosphere at Doha stadium lacked the bite of a match in the top Playoff as less than 500 Maccabi fans travelled to Sakhnin. Shortly after kickoff, Sakhnin’s central defender Ante Puljic picked a knee injury, limped off and replaced in the 10th minute by Odah Marshall. A minute later, Maccabi’s loanee Moflah Shalattah blasted a shot high over Daniel Peretz’s goal. In the 22nd minute, Odah curled a left foot shot from the corner of the area that Peretz tipped onto his crossbar. Within a minute at the opposite end, Stipe Perica sent a square ball into the path of Djordje Jovanovic but the Serbian forward was let down by his first touch before the danger was cleared by Sakhnin’s defence.
In the 29th minute Jovanovic rose to meet Enric Saborit’s cross with a header which was blocked for a corner. Jovanovic’s aerial supremacy saw him head the resulting corner into the path of Josue Sa who couldn’t convert the ball over the line from close range.
Perica carved Sakhnin’s defence open as he released Jovanovic through in the 39th minute, but the Serbian striker was denied by Mahmoud Kandil who charged out of his goal and saved for a corner. Saborit rose high to head the resulting Oscar Gloukh corner towards goal but once again Kandil reacted well. Peretz also kept himself busy as he was forced to a full stretch to catch a dangerous Guy Melamed shot in the 41st minute.
Erez Pappir’s halftime whistle sent both teams into the dressing rooms to regroup and return for the second half in hope that the stalemate will be broken.
Second Half
The second half began where the first one left off as none of the teams seemed to be able to carve an opening. Maccabi that looked dangerous mostly in set pieces, came close in the 54th minute as Saborit reached a corner but his attempt of a toe-poke was caught by Kandil. Golasa flashed a right foot shot wide of the post in the 61st minute before Jovanovic blasted high over the bar less than 60 seconds later.
A minute later Krstajic made four changes as Ofir Davidzada came in for Saborit at left back, Sheran Yeini and Brandley Kuwas stepped in Gabi Kanichowsky and Gloukh while Tal Ben Chaim replaced Perica. An Andre Geraldes dangerous cross from the right sailed across the face of Sakhnin’s goal in the 65th minute but Jovanovic failed to connect. Maccabi came even closer a minute later as Ben Chaim sent Jovanovic into the area only for his shot to be saved by Kandil’s feet.
Seconds after being introduced as a substitute for Sakhnin, Ari Moura cut sent a powerful left foot shot that narrowly curled wide of Peretz’s post on 72. Krstajic made his fifth and final change as Eylon Almog stepped in for Eyal Golasa in the 76th minute. Ben Chaim fired high and wide over Kandil’s goal in the 79th minute as Maccabi tried desperately to break the deadlock.
In the 84th minute Almog dribbled towards the area and exchanged passes with Jovanovic before his shot was blocked by a Sakhnin’s defender. Two minutes later Maccabi reached their best chance as Yeini sent Ben Chaim clear through before the forward shrugged off a defender’s challenge but once again Kandil pulled a reflex save. Almog came close as his attempt of a cross in the 88th minute eluded Sakhnin’s defence and keeper but struck the crossbar and bounced out.
Deep inside injury time Sakhnin scored as Guy Melamed exchanged passes with Marshall before firing past Peretz to inflict Maccabi their second defeat of the Playoff.
