Glazer: “I am happy with the performance and the result”

Last season’s player of the the season summed up the first official match of the 2020/21 season.

With Tamir Glazer on loan at Hapoel Hadera and their cousin Daniel Peretz on Macccabi’s bench, Dan added: ” Gradually we will dominate the entire league”.

“This was the first official match of the season and it was very exciting and a lot of fun” Glazer said at the end of the match. “We got a good result ahead of the return leg. I am happy with the performance and the result but we need to move forward”.

“Maccabi is a massive club and will always be prepared. Every player who was out on loan or graduated from the youth team knows he needs to be prepared to play for the first team. The squad is good enough and we showed that today as well”. 

On the senior debut of his brother Amit, he added: “It was very emotional for me. His twin brother (Tamir) also played today for Hapoel Hadra and I am delighted. Gradually we will take over the entire league”

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Pre-game

With several injuries and other absentees, Maccabi’s Performance Director, Patrick van Leeuwen, handed several debut appearances for the first official match of the season. Matan Baltaxa, who spent the last couple of seasons on loan with Bnei Yehuda started alongside Eitan Tibi at the heart of defense with Maor Kandil and Ofir Davidzada completing the back four on the right and left respectively. Dan Glazer, Avi Rikan and Dor Peretz were named as Maccabi’s midfield trio. Upfront, Nick Blackman and Eylon Almog were partnered by 20-year-old Panamanian striker, Eduardo Guerrero, who scored 6 goals whilst on loan at Beitar Tel Aviv Bat Yam last season.

New signing Ben Bitton was named amongst the seven substitutes against his former club as was 17-year-old Dor Turgeman who scored 19 goals last season for Maccabi’s U17’s.

Amit Glazer, the 20-year-old younger brother of Dan Glazer, and their goalkeeper cousin, Daniel Peretz, were also named amongst the subs, as the duo together with Ido Shahar and Bar Cohen spent last season on loan at Beitar Tel Aviv Bat Yam. Yonatan Cohen, Eden Kartzev, who returned from a loan spell with Kiryat Shmona and Ronen Hanzis who was promoted from the U19 completed the subs on the bench.

First Half

Seven minutes from the start, the deadlock was broken as Nick Blackman released Eylon Almog into the area before the talented winger cut inside and released a shot which Blackman converted into the net. The referee assistant raised his flag for offside, but VAR intervened and the goal was allowed to stand.

Almog had a chance to double the score on 19 as he found himself in a glorious position to score, but his shot from close range was saved by the keeper’s feet for a corner.

Two minutes later, Dor Peretz teed-up Avi Rikan who ghosted past Be’ersheva’s defense into the area, but his volley narrowly missed the target.

Two minutes after the half hour mark Blackman doubled the score with a powerful header after good work and a pinpoint cross from Eduard Guerrero down the right flank.

It took Be’ersheva until the 34th minute to launch their first threat on Daniel Tenebaum’s goal but Kayes Ghanem long range powerful drive crept to the wrong side of the post.

Four minutes later, Tibi was left unmarked to head a corner which bounced wide.

Second Half

Be’ersheva made three changes ahead of the restart before Sean Goldberg caught Maccabi’s defense napping to head a free corner wide. Be’ersheva’s Itamar Shviro managed to beat Tenebaum on 51 but was judged to have handled the ball in the process as he was booked and the goal disallowed. Be’ersheva were left with 10 men on 56 as Shviro was shown the red card for a rough tackle on Eitan Tibi. Van Leeuwen made a double change in the 58th minute as Yonatan Cohen and Ido Shahar replaced Guerrero and Rikan.

Both Cohen and Peretz had their headers caught by Ohad Levita after good crosses from Maor Kandil and Tibi. Just like Shahar, Amit Glazer was also handed his senior debut at Maccabi as he came in for Kandil for the final 20 minutes.

Bar Cohen got his senior debut as he came in for Blackman on 80 while and Eden Kartzev replaced Dor Peretz.

Maccabi Tel Aviv will officially kick-start the season with the first leg of the Super Cup against Hapoel Be’ersheva.

This will be the 30^th time this competition takes place since being introduced in 1957. The competition which teams-up the League Champions and State Cup Winners suffered from inconsistencies as it wasn’t played between 1991 and 2014.

The Super Cup returned to action ahead of the 2015/16 season as Maccabi faced Ironi Kiryat Shmona and is played this season for the sixth season in succession.

This season, for the time ever, the Super Cup will be played as a two legged tie. 

Only once in the past (1965/66) a replay was forced to be played between Hakoah Maccabi Ramat Gan the Champions and Maccabi who were the State Cup holders. After a 2-2 draw in the first leg, the return leg ended in a 1-1 draw as it was decided that the trophy will be shared between the two clubs.

In the 25 encounters so far – the Champions played against the Cup winners , while four other encounters saw the Double Winners line up against the team which finished in the runners-up spot. 

The Champions ended with the winners medal on 21 occasions.

Of the 13 clubs who won the competition, Maccabi is the club with the highest number of victories (6).

Saturday’s match is set to be the 9^th time in the history of the competition that Maccabi are competing for the Super Cup, while Be’ersheva will make their 6^th appearance (3 wins and 2 defeats).

Maccabi’s highest victory was at the start of the 1988/89 season – as Avi Cohen, Alon Natan and Benny Tabbak scored on the way to a 3-0 derby victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv.

Eran Zahavi is the only Maccabi player who scored a brace in the Super Cup (against Kiryat Shmona in the 2015/16 season). Shalom Shikva and Moshe Assis scored two goals in two different matches and together with Zahavi the are Maccabi’s leading scorers in the competition.

Due to Covid19 the domestic season kicks off late as Maccabi will play their first game of the season on August 8^th. This is Maccabi’s latest start to a season since the 2008/09 season. 

For the sixth time in history Maccabi will face for the opening match of the season (Hapoel Be’ersheva this time) the same opponent they played at the final match of last season. Last time this happened, Maccabi’s opponent was Hapoel Tel Aviv. At the end of the 1987/88 season Maccabi recorded a 2-1 victory over Hapoel in the State Cup Final which ended that season, while the 1988/89 campaign, began with a 3-0 Super Cup derby victory for Maccabi.

“Finally. Our first official match of the season, an important game with a trophy at stake. We would like to be as prepared as we can be, we are doing a good pre-season and are waiting for this match. We come to every game to give our best and would like to get the best possible result for us but we are only thinking about this game, and will take it on from there. It is a new season and a new beginning. The last game against them last season isn’t on our minds at all. I would like to get the best out of it and win”.