The second Tel Aviv derby of the season will conclude the regular on MD26 just before the order of the Play-off matches is determined. The match which is staged at Bloomfield stadium, will be the first time in over a year that Maccabi host matches with fans after the Israeli Government approved the attendance of 5000 spectators.

Maccabi’s coach Patrick van Leeuwen, whose record since taking charge of the first team, is 40 points from a possible 42 – made several changes from the side that beat Hapoel Haifa in the State Cup.

Daniel Tenenbaum, whose man-of-the-match performance at Haifa helped Maccabi advance to the Quarter Finals, kept his place in goal.

Having recovered from a groin strain to be named on the bench but remain an unused substitute against Hapoel Haifa, Enric Saborit, returned to the left side of the defense that otherwise remained unchanged. Eytan Tibi and Luis Hernandez lined-up as the two central defenders while in the absence of the injured Andre Geraldes, Maor Kandil completed the back-four on the right. The midfield trio remained unchanged with Sheran Yeini wearing the captain’s armband in the anchor-man role, with Dor Peretz and Eyal Golasa set up in-front of Yeini in a bid to support the front three.

Dan Biton, stepped in for Eylon Almog as the right winger with Tal Ben Chaim on the opposite wing in support of Etey Shechter who led the attack.

Aleksandar Pesic who completed his recovery from COVID, was named on the substitutes bench waiting for a chance to make an impact alongside Almog, Matan Baltaxa, Matan Hozez, Nick Blackman, Avi Rikan, Ofir Davidzada and Eduardo Guerrero.

First Half

The match began with Maccabi pressure on Hapoel’s defense who seemed desperate to get out of their half. Iad Abu Abid was the first player to go into the referee’s book for an off the ball foul on Tal Ben Chaim. Eitan Shmuelevic waved Hapoel’s claims for a penalty following an Eytan Tibi tackle in the 13th minute, but two minutes later, the 500 red fans celebrated as Hapoel broke the deadlock from a counter attack at the end of which Omri Altman side footed home.

In the 22nd minute Hapoel’s keeper Ernst Setkos struggled to deal with a Dan Biton free kick that led to a goalmouth scramble before Siyanda Xulu blocked Eyal Golasa’s shot and Enric Saborit’s effort on the goal-line.

Right on the half hour mark Altman fired a shot over Tenebaum’s crossbar following a Ben Biton cut-back. A minute later at the opposite end, Dor Peretz created himself the space to blast a right foot shot from the edge of the area that crept to the wrong side of Setkos’ post. In the 33rd minute, Tenenbaum and Altman both received medical treatment as the keeper charged out of his goal to collect a cross and collided in mid-air with Hapoel’s skipper.

The halftime whistle sent both teams into the dressing room for a 15 minute break, with Maccabi aware of the fact that anything but a victory will see them drop to second place.

Second Half

Van Leeuwen made his first change after the break as Matan Hozez replaced Dan Biton at the restart. Four minutes later, the change paid off as Maccabi were back on level terms with Hozez playing a pivotal role in the equaliser. The diminutive winger crossed a free kick into the danger zone before Dor Peretz headed the ball towards goal only to see Setkos spill it past his goal-line.

Van Leeuwen introduced Aleksandar Pesic for the tired Etey Shechter almost instantly in a bid to add more firepower upfront. The dual between Peretz and Setkos continued on 64 as the Maccabi midfielder forced the Lithuanian keeper to dive to his right and save a powerful free kick from 25 meters out. Eylon Almog came in for Ben Chaim in the 66th minute as Van Leeuwen made his third change of the game.

Within seconds, two of the substitutes were involved in a counter attack that almost led to Maccabi’s second as Pesic flicked the ball for Eyal Golasa whose square ball was volleyed over by Hozez. Maccabi continued pressing as Golasa had a shot blocked by Dan Biton on 68 following a Pesic flick in the box.

Yeini made way for Avi Rikan for the final 11 minutes as Van Leeuwen added a fresh pair of legs into the midfield. A minute later, Hozez managed to get on the back of an Almog square ball that rolled across the face of goal – but his shot went over.

Inside injury time Pesic managed to get the ball past Setkos as he latched onto an Almog header before it was cleared off the line. But the Serbian striker was sent off for a foul on the keeper following the intervention of VAR.

The full time whistle that followed, saw the Maccabi players turn to the fans thanking them for their efforts on the night – but no one wearing yellow at Bloomfield were anywhere near the mood to celebrate.

 

Shortly before facing Hapoel Tel Aviv for the second derby of the season, central defender Luis Hernandez, spoke of the importance of the local derby and his past experiences from his native Spain.

“It is a very important match” Hernandez said at the pre-match press conference. We all know how this match is important for the club and the fans. The derby comes at a perfect timing for us. We are in good shape and need to maintain our form at this match as well so that we could come prepared for the Play-Off”.

The 31-year-old Spanish central defender who never played in a Play-Off system before, said: “This is the first time in my career that I play a regular season followed by a Play-Offs. But in any way I believe in the ability the team is showing over the past few months as it is important we maintain it together with our fighting spirit and team effort in the forthcoming match as well”.

The former Sporting Gijon, Leicester City and Malaga revealed his past derby experiences, or lack of them: “I played for Sporting Gijon but at the time Real Oviedo were not in the first division or when I was playing in the second division. Malaga doesn’t have the same situation as here with a local city derby. But they have a big regional battle with Sevilla and Granada so I played many matches there. Obviously for players it is very exciting to play such derbies and we know how important they are. Our mentality should be the same like previous matches – to be dominant, aggressive and try to score early like we did in our last few games.