Pre Match

With a winless start from the first three league rounds, Maccabi’s coach Georgios Donis made several changes from the side which beat Sivasspor in Turkey on Thursday.

Enric Saborit returned to the starting line-up at left back while Sheran Yeini on his 450th appearance for the club slotted in on the right. Eitan Tibi and Luis Hernandez completed the defensive back four protecting Daniel Tenenbaum’s goal while Eyal Golasa also returned to the side joining Dan Glazer and Dor Peretz in midfield.

Avi Rikan who set up Dor Peretz’s winning goal in Turkey and Dan Biton who scored the equalizer from the penalty spot, were assigned to support Eduardo Guerrero who led the attack on his first league start. 

Maccabi Haifa, for their part handed a debut league start to former Maccabi Spanish midfielder Jose Rodriguez, while defender Taleb Tawatcha returned to Haifa’s starting line-up after several years abroad.

First Half

Six minutes from the start the hosts took the lead as Eyal Golasa was dispossessed near the halfway line. Nykita Rakuvytsya charged forward and teed-up Tyron Cherry who broke into the area and slotted the ball past Daniel Tenenbaum. A minute later Haifa doubled their lead as Cherry repaid Rakuvytsya with a through ball before the Australian international curled a left foot shot into the far corner to make it 2-0.

Donis changed formation in the 25th minute as shifted to five across the back with Enric Saborit pushing into the middle alongside Tibi and Hernandez while Rikan moved to the left wing-back position. On the half hour mark however Haifa almost increased their lead only for Tenebaum to deny Yanick Wildschut who was sent clear through.

The first chance Maccabi had to score came on 35 as a corner fell into the path of Sabirit but the Spaniard failed to keep his shot down.

Three minutes later Maccabi cut the deficit as a quick exchange of passes between Dan Biton and Eyal Golasa released Eduardo Guerrero who kept his calm and fired his shot past Omri Glazer.

Second Half

Donis made two changes at the restart as Sheran Yeini and Guerrero were replaced by Maor Kandil and Aleksandar Pesic for his league debut.

Four minutes later Pesic came close as he was released into the area by Biton but the Serbian striker blasted his shot high over the crossbar and into the empty stand.

Mohamad Abu Fani flashed a shot over Tenebaum’s crossbar on 51 while Biton did the same at the opposite end seven minutes later. Donis added another attacking player as Yonatan Cohen replaced Golasa on the hour mark.

Saborit’s header from Biton’s free kick was caught by Glazer on 66 and Kandil sent a header wide a minute later. But in the 69th minute two of the substitutes combined for Maccabi’s equaliser. Hernandez sent a long chip to Kandil whose square ball from the byline was flicked home by Cohen.

Nick Blackman replaced Biton on the 80th minute and Ofir Davidzada came on for the tired Rikan a minute later.

The third successive league draw left Maccabi with three points from a possible 12, but now attention turns to the Europa League where Georgios Donis’s side travel to Villareal for a match between the two sides that have a 100% record

 

 

Two second half goals in the space of 5 minutes saw Maccabi cancel Sivasspor’s early lead on the way to a 2-1 victory in Turkey. At the end of MD2 Maccabi maintained its 100% record just like next week’s opponents Vilarreal.

Pre Match

On the back of the victory over Qarabag on MD1 and the draw against Hapoel Be’ersheva in the league, Maccabi’s coach Georgios Donis made several changes to his starting line-up against Sivasspor.

Ofir Davidzada and Maor Kandil returned to the side and were named as the two wing-backs on the left and right respectively with Luis Hernandez, Eytan Tibi and Sheran Yeini as the three central midfielders. While Tibi made his 67th European appearance, Yeini made his overall 449th appearance for the club.

Dan Glazer who was rested against Be’ersheva returned to the side alongside Dor Peretz as the two anchormen at the heart of midfield. Avi Rikan and Dan Bitton were the two players assigned to supply the support for Etey Schechter upfront.

First Half

Daniel Tenenbaum was the first of the two keepers to be put under threat as a dangerous cross from Maccabi Netanya’s former striker Olarenwaju Kayode managed to confuse both Maccabi’s defense and Sivasspor’s forwards who failed to connect five minutes from the start. In the 13th minute however, Avi Rikan found himself in a glorious position to score as an accurate square ball from Maor Kandil caught Sivasspor’s defense off guard.

But the experienced midfielder who was unmarked in the area, was let down by his touch and failed to connect allowing the ball to roll across the penalty area. Sivasspor almost broke the deadlock on 26 as Dan Bitton was dispossessed of the ball by Max-Alain Gradel who charged forward but flashed his shot narrowly wide of Tenenbaum’s goal.

Sivasspor’s physical superiority began to show as the hosts began dominating the play while Maccabi tried hitting them on the break. But while Sivasspor’s crosses into the area were cleared or punched out by Tenenbaum, the 196cm tall goalkeeper at the opposite end Mamadou Samassa didn’t seem troubled by anything Donis’ side could muster.

Second Half

Three minutes from the restart Etey Schechter charged forward for a counter attack before teeing up Dor Peretz whose shot from the edge of the area went high over the crossbar.

In the 53rd minute Sivasspor’s Hakan Arslan tried surprising Tenenbaum with a long range effort which missed the target. But within a minute the hosts took the lead as Gradel was given the time and space to break forward and send a square ball which Kayode tucked home from close range.

Aleksandar Pesic made his debut appearance for Maccabi as he came in on 65 as part of a double substitution with Eyal Golasa replacing both Schechter and Kandil.

Within a minute of his introduction Golasa had a shot blocked and as Dor Peretz floated in the cross, Rikan sent the ball across the face of goal before Golasa was fouled by Samba Camara. Referee Irfan Peljto pointed at the penalty spot and sent off Camara with a straight red card. Dan Bitton stepped up, kept his calm and sent Samassa the wrong way to slot home the equaliser.

Donis shifted to four across the back with Yeni slotting to the right back, but Sivasspor came close as Mustapha Yatabare rattled Tenenbaum’s post on 71. Two minutes later however, the comeback was complete as Rikan’s clever back-heal flick released Peretz into the area. The midfielder’s initial shot was blocked by the advancing keeper, but Peretz recovered well to rise high and head in the rebound.

Eden Karzev and Yonatan Cohen replaced both Rikan and Bitton on 87 while Enric Saborit was introduced in injury time for Peretz as the fifth substitution.