Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder Avi Rikan, speaking ahead of Tuesday night’s league clash with Bnei Yehuda at Bloomfield said that many mistakes had been made but that it was time to redress the balance and start winning again.

“I think that after we led 2-0, we needed to do the opposite of what we did on the field to ensure victory but we made all the mistakes and allowed them back in. We needed to respond and we didn’t, clearly I am disappointed, as we all are,” Rikan said.

The 3-2 defeat to Hapoel Umm El Fahm on Saturday in the eighth round of the State Cup stunned Maccabi and has left them with only the league to fight for. That loss, coupled with the two previous draws is the longest winless streak for Maccabi this season. 

“We lost to a Second Division side. We could have scored more goals in that first half hour and the game would have been over. The best way to analyse a situation is when you are not at your best but the best solution is to get back to winning ways and tomorrow we want to turn a new page.”

Rikan added that the different lineup should not have resulted in the loss to Umm El Fahm.

“Changing lineups has worked well in the past, both with this coaching crew last season and beforehand. It’s always been the case and it’s clear to us players that this is the way things need to be. Often players come in and score and gain confidence. All the players need to play well and I’m sure they will,” he said.

Rikan said that with the league now the only remaining competition for the season, things would change.

“We had two draws and we will need to be at our best against very stubborn opponents, we only have the league to play for now.”

Sheran Yeini, Maccabi’s captain and one of the players who returned to action after a long layoff through injury said after the 3-2 State Cup defeat to Umm El Fahm that the result would leave a long-lasting blemish on the club’s memory but that they would have to learn from it for the future. 

“We will do the analysis later, but I can say that this is a day we do not want to remember, although we will definitely have to keep it in our minds,” Yeini said.

“It is a bad day for Maccabi Tel Aviv. We have experienced days like this in the past and we are good enough for it not to happen, but I am sorry that it has.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv were knocked out of the State Cup in the eighth round on Saturday by Second Division Umm El Fahm in what was a disappointing performance by the TASE Premier League leaders. Coach Vladimir Ivic gave his assessment of the 3-2 defeat.

“We began the second half with a big error and we allowed our opponents back into the game. They are into the next stage of the competition and they should be congratulated. We are all disappointed but if there is anybody who should take the blame it is me and not the players,” Ivic said. 

“I apologise to the fans, this is our worst performance since I have come to the club.”

Ivic introduced players who have not been in the starting lineup recently but said that this was not the reason for the defeat.

“We had experienced players in the lineup who have played many games in the past. Today was the day to bring in those who have not played much this season. I respect our opponents but we should have finished off this game in the first half and should have led 4-0. This is football and we need to look ahead now to the next game.

“This was the game to utilise players who have not played recently, I don’t think there is any problem with the rotation of the team, the problem was that we lost confidence after they equalised.

When asked about the inclusion of goalkeeper Andreas Gianniotis instead of Daniel Tenenbaum, Ivic said: “We hired Andreas to play, he knows about pressure and it’s not a problem for him but I will not blame any single player for this result. He has not played in a while and this was the time for him to play in order to see where he stands. I think that if we had put the clock back two hours I would still have done the same thing.”

Hapoel Umm El Fahm of the Second Division came back from 2-0 down to beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 3-2 at their home ground in Afula on Saturday in one of the biggest State Cup upsets of recent years.

The Wadi Ara town club who began as clear underdogs put on a spirited second half comeback to end Maccabi’s challenge for another trophy in the eighth round of the competition, the stage when top division clubs enter the competition. 

The team in red began the match tentatively and allowed Maccabi to dominate and pile pressure on their goal with their pace and accurate passing. The advantage told, as they took a 2-0 lead within 32 minutes, but from that moment, it was hard to differentiate between the TASE Premier League leaders and the second division side and Umm El Fahm showed great fighting spirit and scored a wonder strike to win the tie.

Maccabi got on the score sheet for the first time in the 13th minute when Avi Rikan was put through with an excellent diagonal ball into the area from the right by Eylon Almog and Rikan made no mistake as he sent the ball on its way into the bottom left corner of the net. 

Almog himself scored the second goal in the 32nd minute when a defensive error by Umm El Fahm’s Younes Jabarin passed the ball to Rikan, who sent it on to Almog in front of the keeper and he made certain again with a well placed low shot.

The hosts picked up the pace and weren’t going to give up without a fight and in the 42nd minute Umm El Fahm made it 2-1 when Tadas Kijanskas headed in well from close range to beat Andreas Gianiotis in the Maccabi goal after a cross from the right by Niv Sardal.

The hosts were emboldened by their good showing towards the end of the first half and came out far more confident in the second, playing as equals with their illustrious opponents. 

Within three minutes of the restart they were level at 2-2 after Sardal sent a ball across the goalmouth from the right. It hit the leg of Maccabi defender Shahar Piven and rebounded into the net for an own goal.

Rif Mesika, the best player on the pitch in the second half ignited the stands in the 78th minute with a curling right-footed strike from 27 metres out that left Gianiotis no chance and stunned Maccabi.

The pressure grew as the minutes ticked down towards the end of the match and Maccabi were unable to find a way through for an equaliser that would have sent the encounter into extra time and the 4,000 home fans celebrated a famous win for their unheralded club.

Maccabi Tel Aviv will open their campaign in this season’s State Cup with an away tie on Saturday at Hapoel Umm El Fahm that will be played in Afula. This will be Maccabi’s 83rd appearance in the competition, they have reached the final 36 times and have won the trophy on 23 occasions, more than any other Israeli club.

Maccabi have faced 84 different opponents in the competition over the years but they have never before played Umm El Fahm. At the other end of the scale, the most frequent opponents in the competition have been Maccabi Petah Tikva, whom they have faced 23 times.

In the previous 82 years of the State Cup, Maccabi have won 225 times but have been defeated 59 times.

Umm El Fahm are one of 60 Second Division clubs that Maccabi have faced in the competition. There have been 20 matches against third division outfits, eight against fourth division clubs and three against fifth division opponents who were successful in reaching the stage where top opponents enter the tournament. Those three opponents were Beitar Pardes Katz in 1986, Ironi Hod Hasharon in 2000 and Ironi Ofakim in 2001.

Maccabi have faced fellow top-flight opposition on 25 occasions at the first hurdle, while the rest, 57, have been against clubs from lower divisions.

Maccabi have surmounted the first hurdle in the State Cup 75 times but have fallen on seven occasions. The most frequent opponents at that stage have been Hakoah Maccabi Ramat Gan and Hapoel Jerusalem, Each faced their formidable rivals four times.

The most difficult successful match in the opening round for Maccabi occurred in 2007 when Giovanni Rosso scored in the 119th minute for a 2-1 win over Hakoah.

The biggest win was a 10-0 drubbing of Maccabi Bar Kokhba Jerusalem in 1937.

Benny Tabak is Maccabi’s record scorer in the State Cup, with 31 goals. He opened his account in his first outing in the competition in 1973, the 2-0 win over Hapoel Ramat Gan. Miko Belo has made the most appearances for Maccabi in the State Cup, 75.

The legendary Jerry Beit Halevy holds the record for a Maccabi coach and has lifted the State Cup four times, in 1954, 55, 64 and 65. Israel Halivner and Nir Levin have each led the club to two wins, respectively in 1967 and 1970, and in 2001 and 2002.

Maccabi Tel Aviv will open their State Cup campaign for the current season on Saturday against hosts Hapoel Umm El Fahm in Afula, kickoff at 19:50, and while Israel’s top club has many fans throughout the country, by coincidence, the northern Arab town is home to probably Maccabi’s most fervent supporter.

Mahdi Jabarin, 37, has been a Maccabi fan for 29 years and he’s not shy in telling us where his loyalties lie. “I have been a Maccabi fan since 1990, I live and breathe Maccabi Tel Aviv,” he said. 

His connection is more than just of a fan, however. “I had a dream to play for Maccabi one day and I was part of the junior setup and played for the Boys B and Boys A teams and then for the youth team for two years. I played alongside Tal Ben Haim, Reuven Oved, Salem Abu Siam and Avi Strul,” Jabarin recalled.

He said that he was attracted to Maccabi after watching a game that was particularly impressive.

“When I was eight years old, I saw one of their games and they played really well. I asked my dad which team that was, when he told me it was Maccabi Tel Aviv. I fell in love. I go to every game and many supporters now know me,” Jabarin said proudly.

The upcoming game does not present a dilemma for Jabarin and he has no divided loyalties.

“Everybody has pride, there are Maccabi fans in my town and there are many Hapoel Umm El Fahm supporters too but I know exactly who I will be supporting. Maccabi are in my being and I know that there are others who are really excited and waiting for this match.”

“I want Maccabi to come to Afula and play well and win. I don’t want to hear any sectarian or racist cries, this is football and it needs to be clean game so that fans everywhere will be able to say that Maccabi won fair and square. I want to go home after the game with my head held high.”

Jabarin has been keeping close tabs on Umm El Fahm and has many friends who play for the Second Division club. 

“I have watched them train, my family and neighbourhood friends are among the management members. A few days ago, I went to a training session and they all said to me: ‘Here comes Mahdi, the Maccabi fan who will tell them all about us,'” he said jokingly.

Umm El Fahm lie fourth in the Second Division, nine points adrift of a promotion spot and Jabarin is hoping that Maccabi’s defence and superior technical skills will see them prevail.

Umm El Fahm’s fans have gained a good reputation as loyal supporters of their own club and Jabarin concurs: “The local fans are some of the best in the Second Division. The town was missing a decent football team for a long time and with the club’s improvement the fans are able to display their love for the game and their team.”

Jabarin said he was hoping for a clear victory for Maccabi “hopefully by three, four or five goals, the more the merrier. I don’t want it to go to extra time or penalties, let’s get it done in 90 minutes,” he said.

The PenguinPickUp training centre at Kiryat Shalom has hosted the first Maccabi Tel Aviv Foosball (table football) tournament sponsored by Nivea. It was contested by eight of the club’s first team players who paired off to compete for the title.

Dor Micha and Eyal Golasa, Enric Saborit and Andre Geraldes, Omer Atzili and Avi Rikan and Andreas Gianniotis and Daniel Tenenbaum were the pairs involved and one of them lifted the trophy in style, but who were they?