Vladimir Ivic spoke about Maccabi Tel Aviv’s 1-0 victory over Hapoel Kiryat Shmona on Saturday which he said was a hard-fought win in tough conditions.

“It was a difficult game, we knew it would be, because this is the first game after the break and the surface was hard. Kiryat Shmona are tough opponents but I’m pleased with the victory.” 

He said it took a while to get settled into the pace of the game: “We did not start well but we got into our stride in the second part of the first half, we played better and we scored. We finished the game much more fluently and we had a few chances to score, we need to maintain this ability.”

He added: “The record is good news for us, but for me it was important to secure the three points. The record is nice but it’s not the most important thing.”

Ivic said the team’s all-defensive style was something he was working on, although there was still more work to be done.

“We train for the whole team to play in defence and that’s how we want it to be. The players are executing the plan but there is still room for improvement.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv secured a hard-fought 1-0 win over Hapoel Kiryat Shmona as the TASE Premier League returned from a three-week break on Saturday and maintained their place at the top of the standings. The club have now completed 11 games since the start of the season and have yet to concede a goal, a new record. 

But the clean sheet teetered on the brink in the fourth minute after a tentative start by Maccabi as referee Daniel Bar Natan initially awarded a penalty to Kiryat Shmona after Maccabi defender Eitan Tibi slid in for a tackle as Ismail Rayan ran into the area on the left and fell forward. A subsequent VAR check found that there was no contact between Tibi and Rayan and the penalty was annulled, allowing goalkeeper Daniel Tenenbaum and his teammates to see out the 10 minutes needed to surpass the old record of 1,002 minutes without conceding a goal set by Maccabi Haifa’s Giora Antman in 1988-89. 

Yonatan Cohen put Maccabi on the scoreboard in the 33rd minute from a penalty spot at the other end with a confidently taken kick after a Kiryat Shmona defender handled the ball on the edge of the area. Cohen blasted the ball to the right of Kiryat Shmona ‘keeper Djugas Bartkos, leaving him no chance of making a save.

Maccabi might have added a second goal before halftime when Dor Micha Rolled the ball softly into the empty goalmouth in the 42nd minute but again, Bar Natan intervened after a VAR review which ruled that the ball had not fully crossed the goal line as it was cleared by a Kiryat Shmona defender. 

Cohen had a very good chance to add to the score when in the 65th minute, his shot from 10 metres out hit the post and rebounded away. It followed an excellent move that began when Micha, in the centre, passed the ball to defender Andre Geraldes on the right. He sent a ball in from the edge of the area that punched a huge hole through the Kiryat Shmona defence only for Cohen to strike the ball firmly into the right post.

Tenenbaum then pulled off a magnificent save to frustrate Kiryat Shmona when he put his body in front of Mohammed Shaker’s close-range shot in the 71st minute that was further proof of the Brazilian-born goalkeeper’s pedigree. 

Kiryat Shmona did themselves no favours in the 77th minute when Eden Kartzev was sent off after receiving a second yellow card for a foul on a Maccabi player.

Cohen again came close the post in the 89th minute with a beautiful curling shot from the right that beat the outstretched Bartkos but the post got in the way once more.

Kiryat Shmona’s woes were compounded further when Shai Golan was also sent off for a foul on Enric Saborit in injury time and the northern club are in a precarious situation at the bottom of the table.

Maccabi Tel Aviv continue to scale new heights and tonight set new a new record during the league fixture against Hapoel Kiryat Shmona when after ten minutes of play and Maccabi’s goalmouth still not breached, goalkeeper Daniel Tenenbaum surpassed 1,002 minutes without conceding a goal.

The mark had been held by Maccabi Haifa’s Giora Antman, who set the record in the 1988/89 season.

Tenenbaum has now played 11 consecutive matches this season without conceding a goal. He began his achievement in the penultimate game of last season when George Mandjik of Maccabi Haifa scored in the 87th minute for a 1-1 draw. In the following, final game last season Maccabi beat Hapoel Beersheba 4-0 and when adding the minutes played this season, the new record has been achieved. His clean sheet record now stands at 1,083 minutes.

Tenenbaum is the 50th goalkeeper to appear in Maccabi strip since Israel’s foundation in 1948 and has stood between the posts during the entire period of the record.

Among the defence, Eitan Tibi has played the entire 1003 minutes, or 13 matches, Jair Amador has played in 12 of the matches and Andre Geraldes has played in 11, as has Enric Saborit.

During the matches, opponents have shot at Maccabi’s goal 87 times but only 21 of those have been on target. Tenenbaum also saved one penalty in the period, Shlomi Azulai’s spot kick for Beitar Jerusalem in the fifth round of the season.

Maccabi’s goal difference now stands at 21-0, which equals the the achievement in the 1951-52 season when Maccabi scored 21 goals without reply in three and a half matches.

Hapoel Beersheba are the only club to have played Maccabi twice in the period, losing 4-0 last season and 2-0 in this campaign.

Next on the list of goalkeepers behind Tenenbaum and Antman to have kept a clean sheet over an extended period are: 953 minutes by Nir Davidovich (Maccabi Haifa) in 2009-10 and 928 minutes and 900 minutes respectively by Jozi Surinov (Beitar Jerusalem) in 1973-74 and  1971-72.

The TASE Premier League will return to regular action this weekend after a three-week break for national team play and to allow time for the grass settle following winter re-seeding.

Maccabi’s assignment is an away fixture against Hapoel Kiryat Shmona on Saturday at 17:30 at the northern team’s home ground.

Maccabi go into the game as league leaders. They are on 26 points, three ahead of Maccabi Haifa in second place.

Maccabi’s last fixture was a 3-0 win over Hapoel Haifa and the upcoming clash will be an important preparation four days before the first Tel Aviv derby of the season.

Maintaining the good form is obviously vital, and coach Vladimir Ivic’s  club will look to surpass the all-time Israeli record of not conceding a goal. Goalkeeper Daniel Tenenbaum will be between the posts as Maccabi look to stretch their 11-game unbeaten run and keeping their goalmouth tightly shut.

Ten more minutes are needed to set a new mark of 1,003 minutes without conceding. The current record of 1,002 minutes is held by Maccabi Haifa and goalkeeper Giora Antman and was set in 1988-89.

Maccabi’s opponents, Kiryat Shmona, have had a disappointing start to the season and lie in 12th place in the standings with only seven points. The club appointed new coach Kobi Refuah a few weeks ago in place of Masai Dago but Refuah’s record on the sidelines is not great. He has presided over one win and two defeats, one of which was the 1-0 defeat to Hapoel Tel Aviv in last round of action before the break.

The Black Friday shopping frenzy has become a regular global event and Maccabi Tel Aviv have also launched their own sales drive, Yellow Friday. This season’s offers will give the best chance to be a part of the club’s quest for another championship title at the new Bloomfield.

Click here to buy

Ahead of Maccabi’s next three home games, the club is offering tickets to all three for 100 shekels. Two of those fixtures will be Saturday afternoon kickoffs, a perfect day out for families.

The three upcoming home games are:

Saturday, Dec. 7: Maccabi Tel Aviv v Maccabi Netanya, 19:50

Saturday, Dec. 14: Maccabi Tel Aviv v Ness Ziona, 15:00

Saturday, Dec. 21: Maccabi Tel Aviv v Hapoel Kfar Sava, 15:00

The ticket batch, priced 100 shekels, is for Gate 4 non reserved seats.

Note: Tickets will be delivered by e-mail for home printing and cannot be exchanged for other games.