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.

So far, there have been 153 Tel Aviv Derby clashes. Maccabi have won 51 times, 46 have ended in draws, and Hapoel have won on 46 occasions. The goal difference is 175-150 in favour of Maccabi.

Hapoel were the only opponents that Maccabi failed to beat last season. Indeed, in the two seasons following Hapoel’s promotion — last season and in 1990-91 — each of the two clashes in each campaign ended in draws.

Maccabi have now played their last eight Derby matches without defeat but the record is 10 and it was achieved in April 1994.

Wednesday’s clash will be the 106th Derby to be played at Bloomfield. Hapoel have been the home team on 66 occasions and Maccabi 39 times. The Bloomfield record favours Hapoel, who have won 38 times. Maccabi have won 32 times and 35 clashes ended in a draw. Maccabi edge the goal count 110-109.

Other stadiums to have hosted the Derby are Basa (the ground that stood on the site before Bloomfield was built) 18 times, Ramat Gan 16 times, Maccabiah Stadium nine times and Netanya and Moshava Stadiums, twice each.

Nir Klinger, who coached Maccabi between 2002-03 and 2005-06, will face Maccabi as a coach for the 15th time. His record against the club is two wins, three draws and nine defeats. Maccabi have a 32-14 goal record against him.

Maccabi’s biggest margin of victory (5-0) has been achieved twice, in 1969-70 and 2016-17.

The most common result is 1-0 and has been achieved 34 times by each club. There have been 26 goalless draws, including the abandoned match in 2014-15.

Maccabi have overturned a deficit in the Derby seven times and Hapoel have done so four times.

The most close-run change in fortunes came in 2013-14 when Maccabi came back from a goal down as Eran Zahavi scored in the 89th and 93rd minutes.

Maccabi have fielded 354 players in league Derby matches, 76 of whom have scored. Miko Belo holds the record for most Derby appearances, at 33. Benny Tabak and Avi Nimni are equal second on 29.

The late Shiye Glazer holds the record for most goals scored for Maccabi, at 11. Avi Nimni is second with eight goals and Eli Driks and Eran Zahavi have each scored seven times.

Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder Dan Glazer told reporters at the pre-Derby news conference on Tuesday that the significance of the clash against Hapoel Tel Aviv at Bloomfield was something he had been aware of since he joined the club at age six.

“I have been at Maccabi since age six so I know the importance of this game but at the end of the day it’s another league match and three points are on the line, we will do our best to take them,” he said.

“Hapoel Tee l Aviv are tough opponents, they are well organised at the back so we will have to work very hard. In most of our matches we have had to break down tough defences and this will be no different. We will need to find a way to break Hapoel down too.”

Glazer added that regardless, “A Derby is very special for us, as it is for any fan, it’s always a tough match regardless of Hapoel’s position in the standings.”

He said Maccabi would just have to “play our normal game, be aggressive and show that we want this victory more than our opponents.”

He was confident about the outcome.

“I know we can do it, we have been well prepared, we have worked a lot on tactics and each player knows what he needs to do, there is no element of luck here.”