Wednesday’s return of the Tel Aviv Derby to Bloomfield was the sweetest welcome back possible for Maccabi and the 3-0 win for the away team over hosts Hapoel was the first victory over Hapoel since January, 2017 when we won 1-0. The last win at Bloomfield over our arch-rivals was also a 1-0 win, in October 2015.

Following this last victory, the unbeaten run over Hapoel has stretched to nine league games and one more Derby win will equal the all-time unbeaten match streak against Hapoel.

The 3-0 result was the 14th time that Maccabi have posted a margin of victory of at least three goals and it is the biggest away win since the memorable 4-0 result in November 1991. More recently, in 2016, Maccabi won 5-0 in a home Derby.

By not conceding in the match, Maccabi have now stretched their string of clean sheets since the start of the season to 12, and when including the end of last season, goalkeeper Daniel Tenenbaum has kept his goal shut tight for 1,173 minutes, although he had the goalpost to thank for keeping the ball out after he was well beaten by an excellent curling shot by Hapoel’s Omri Altman. If Tenenbaum can keep one more clean sheet on Saturday against Maccabi Netanya, Maccabi will have completed the entire first phase of the season with zero in the goals-against column.

Yonatan Cohen, who struck the second goal from the penalty spot, his first-ever league Derby goal (he did,  however, score in the 4-1 Toto Cup Derby win last season). He has now scored for the fourth consecutive match and his five goals overall this season place him at the top of the league scorers’ standings.

Young winger Eilon Almog was also thrilled by his showing. He scored the final goal in injury time on Wednesday and it was his first goal for Maccabi.

Coach Vladimir Ivic made an important selection choice for the match by picking Avi Rikan and Omer Atzili and it turned out to be a crucial decision as the two combined to score the first goal. An excellent pass by Atzili cut through the Hapoel defence and Rikan made no mistake with a great effort that curled past Ofer Gerafi in the Hapoel goal on 15 minutes.

It was Rikan’s first goal of the season after his return from injury, while Atzili notched his second assist in his second consecutive appearance. His last was in the 3-0 win over Hapoel Haifa.

Avi Rikan, who scored the opening goal against Hapoel in the Derby said he was pleased with his performance on the night.

“I was very happy to have started so well, particularly as I have been out injured recently and wasn’t involved in play in the past month, but I was even happier in the way the game ended,” he said.

“Being honest, we could have been better on the night, but most important was that we won the Derby 3-0 and that we have kept our goalmouth tight shut for yet another game.”

The 3-0 win may not have reflected the course of play but Rikan said the win was nevertheless convincing.

“I think we were effective in our play, we weren’t sharp enough in our finishing in the first half when we had chances but towards the end they tired and we made some good substitutions which made the difference, although I do agree that this was not one of our best games this season,” he said.

“We are certain that we can play better than this but it would not be right to compare our form to last season, as we know that our opponents have prepared well to face us and we need to make appropriate adjustments. We did not play well today, although I can’t apologise after we won 3-0.”

The veteran said that he had recovered from an eye injury that had been a worry and he thanked family, friends and the club for their support.

He also said that he felt the coach had full confidence in each of the players and that even if they weren’t playing, there was always a moment when each of them would be needed to contribute and that they had to prove themselves worthy of their place in the side.

In-form Maccabi Tel Aviv forward Yonatan Cohen was in buoyant mood after Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Hapoel in the first Tel Aviv Derby of the season and said he was happy with the result despite the tough encounter.

“There are no easy Derby games, they are always more aggressive (than other league fixtures) and there are more fights over the ball but we won convincingly, we’ll take the three points and move on,” he said.

 

“It’s always difficult to predict what will happen in the Derby and it was an aggressive game but this was the right result.”

Maccabi were far from their at their best in the game and coach Vladimir Ivic said he wanted more, to which Cohen responded: “The coach is always right, he demands more of us and we will need to work hard and improve our play.”

But the Maccabi stalwart said that the win was the most important thing and he thanked the crowd, who were in the minority at Bloomfield, as they were the away fans.

“We won the Derby and that’s the most important thingת it was an away game but we felt as if we were the home team thanks to the fans’ great support. I have always dreamt of scoring in the derby and I’m pleased with the result.”

Maccabi held on to win the much-anticipated Tel Aviv Derby over Hapoel 3-0 on Wednesday thanks to an early goal and a late penalty and the goalpost that prevented their opponents getting an equaliser on the brink of halftime.

The always tense and exciting occasion was marred by some pyrotechnics immediately after the kickoff when fires broke out in the stands and the game was held up for several minutes. 

Once play resumed, Maccabi were generally the dominant side in the first half and it wasn’t long before that advantage was manifested on the scoreboard when in the 15th minute Avi Rikan picked up an excellent through ball on the edge of the area from Omer Atzili and advanced to strike a curling right-footed shot around Hapoel goalkeeper Yoav Gerafi low into the back of the net.

The match continued untidily and Hapoel fought bravely but had little to show for their efforts. They came very close, however, when Omri Altman almost became the first player this season to score against Maccabi in the league as he curled a beautiful shot from outside the area on the left that beat Maccabi goalkeeper Daniel Tenenbaum but the ball rebounded off the post and Maccabi’s goal remained safe, but only just. 

Hapoel began the second half with determination and within the first minute Altman was again close to the goal with a chance to score from an acute angle but he was thwarted by the Maccabi defence.

Maccabi were generally on the back foot as Hapoel controlled the pace and possession until the final 20 minutes but towards the end, when Itai Shechter came on as substitute for the tiring Aron Schoenfeld and the tables were turned in the visitors’ favour.

Maccabi were awarded a late penalty on review when Shechter was brought down in front of goal in the 87th minute by Hapoel’s Orel Dgani, Yonatan Cohen stepped up to confidently blast the ball into the back of Hapoel’s net.

Eilon Almog completed the scoreline and turned what had been a tightly fought game into a rout when he slotted the ball into the back of Gerafi’s net in the fifth and final minute of injury time.

Maccabi now lead the TASE Premier League standing by five points because Maccabi Haifa surprisingly drew 3-3 at home against Ashdod SC.

Tenenbaum has now increased his record for keeping a clean sheet to 12 matches this season and a total of 1,173 minutes since the last time he let in a league goal.