Maccabi Tel Aviv ended the entire regular season unbeaten on Saturday after registering a 1-0 win over Maccabi Netanya in their final TASE Premier League fixture before the playoff phase begins.

Maccabi were far from their best, particularly in the second half, when Netanya took control and had far more attempts to score, although they failed to find the target and on one occasion were denied by the woodwork. 

The opening few minutes belied what was to follow as Maccabi wasted little time in getting their show on the road and went ahead in the fourth minute when Eylon Almog latched on to a through ball slightly on the left from Yonatan Cohen. He raised his leg and guided the ball into the Netanya yet well out of reach of Danny Amos in goal.

Maccabi had another chance on 25 minutes when Omer Atzili crossed a free kick on from the right but Jair Amador was unable to head the ball past Amos. That was almost the last we saw of Maccabi’s attacking efforts throughout the match as their attacking might deserted them and the home team were allowed to take control of the midfield.

Netanya had a good chance in the 43rd minute, only for Gabi Kanikovsky to shoot high over Daniel Tenenbaum’s crossbar. 

The second half was a ragged and inaccurate kick-about but in the 55th minute, Jonas Malede almost pulled Netanya level with an excellent curling shot from the left that was beyond Tenenbaum’s reach, although Maccabi were saved by the right post.

While Netanya looked the more dangerous side in the second half and used their speed to attack, some competent defending by Maccabi’s players and a good save by Tenenbaum ensured yet another clean sheet.

Maccabi Tel Aviv will end the regular season on February 29 in an away fixture against Maccabi Netanya and moments before leap day descends upon us we have found some interesting statistics and have uncovered part of the rich rivalry between the two clubs.

Maccabi have played a total of 2,091 league matches over the years but only three have ever been played on leap day. These have been against Maccabi Petah Tikva, who won 2-1 in 1964, a goalless draw with Hapoel Beersheba in 1992 and a 3-0 win over Hapoel Petah Tikva in 2004.

In contrast to February 29, December 17 and April 13 are dates on which Maccabi have played the most league fixtures but a date on which Maccabi have never played a league game is September 7.

Maccabi Tel Aviv and Netanya have played a total of 140 times in the league over the years and only two sides have been more common opponents, Maccabi Haifa at 161, and Hapoel Tel Aviv with 155. Despite this, Netanya are the opponents that Maccabi have beaten the most, with 69 victories.

Netanya and Maccabi have a rich history and a healthy rivalry and in the 1970s the two clubs shared seven out of the ten championships in that decade.

Last season, Maccabi beat Netanya — and Hapoel Hadera — four times in league action but this season, Netanya are the only team who have still not lost to Maccabi.

Last season, Maccabi faced Netanya in the 17th round, when Omer Atzili scored the fastest league goal of the season and the one that preceded it. It was Maccabi’s third fastest-ever goal.

The first meeting between the two sides this season ended in a goalless draw and it ended a run of 25 matches between the two sides (since 2008-09) in which goals were scored.

The upcoming game will end the regular season prior to the start of the playoff phase that was introduced in the 2012-13 season. Maccabi are the only team ever to have won all seven games leading up to that phase.

Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Vladimir Ivic told reporters at the weekly pre-match news conference that Saturday’s fixture against Maccabi Netanya will certainly be a tougher test than the Tel Aviv Derby and the clash against Hapoel Kiryat Shmona. He also discussed preparations for the match and the situation in attack in view of recent injuries.

 

Maccabi Tel Aviv goalkeeper Daniel Tenenbaum spoke at the weekly pre-match news conference on Thursday and praised his colleagues for helping him keep his goal tightly shut during the season. He foresaw a tough clash against Netanya on Saturday, just like all Maccabi’s other matches. 

When asked about the final game of the regular season, Tenenbaum replied: “No game is easy for us. We have been working hard and we think it will be a hard game.”

Tenenbaum is set to secure the record for conceding the least number of goals in the regular season, but he said modestly that the achievement was not only his and credited his colleagues.

“The record belongs to the entire team. If the defence wasn’t playing well, I would not be able to be good either,” Tenenbaum said.

He said also that his relations with fellow goalkeeping colleague Andreas Gianniotis was very good and that the atmosphere in the team was great.