Category: News

A numbers game: A derby to kick-off the Playoff

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This season will be the 23rd in league history during which Playoff matches are staged at the end of a regular season. Maccabi will play in the Top Playoff for the 21st time in succession, the highest number of appearances among league clubs. Maccabi featured in the bottom Playoffs only in the first two seasons (1987/88 and 1988/89) after they were introduced in Israel. Hapoel Be’ersheva has the second-longest current streak after Maccabi as this will be their 13th consecutive season in the Top Playoff.

Maccabi won the League Championship 8 times at the end of the Playoff.

Maccabi’s highest victory in Playoff history was a 7-0 thrashing of Beitar Jerusalem in the 2000/01 season. Avi Nimni (2), Rodrigo Goldberg (2), Dedi Ben-Dayan, Guy Tzarfati, and Baruch Dego were on target.

The largest attendance ever for a Playoff match: 33,000 fans was recorded at the Ramat Gan national stadium at the end of the 2012/13 season. Maccabi secured the league title four matches before the end of the season with a 2-0 victory over Ramat HaSharon that hosted Maccabi Tel Aviv at the Ramat Gan Stadium.

This is the 14th season under the current format (regular season followed a Playoff). Since the 12/13 season Maccabi played 130 Playoff matches winning 72, drawing 37 while 21 others ended in defeat with a total goal tally of 231-109.

Since the 12/13 season, Maccabi faced 16 different clubs in the Playoffs. Of the five opponents that reached the Playoff this season, Maccabi faced Be’ersheva and Maccabi Haifa in 12 Playoff seasons, Beitar in 6 seasons, Hapoel Tel Aviv in 4 seasons, and Hapoel Petah Tikva for the first time in the Top Playoff under the current format.

The most successful Playoff seasons for Maccabi were recorded in 2018/19, 2019/20, 2023/24, and 2024/25, with 23 points in each campaign (W-7, D-2, L-1). One unbeaten Playoff season was recorded in the 2015/16 campaign with 20 points (W-5, D-5).

No less than 119 players featured for Maccabi in 130 playoff matches since the 12/13 season. Dor Peretz holds the appearances record with 77 Playoff matches to his name.

A total of 51 players scored goals for Maccabi in the Playoffs. Eran Zahavi leads the goalscoring charts with 50 Playoff goals.

Over the past 13 seasons, Maccabi hosted the opening matches of the Playoff having finished the regular season in positions 1-3. The record in these matches currently stands on W-10, D-2, L-1 with a goal tally of 21-4.

Under the current league format, Maccabi faced Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Playoffs in the 2013, 2014, 2020, and 2022 seasons. The record of derbies played in 8 Playoffs matches currently stands on: Six victories, 1 draw and 1 defeat with a goal tally of 19-5.

The upcoming Tel Aviv derby will be the 170th encounter between the two sides in the league. The overall record currently stands on 63 victories, 59 draws, while Hapoel won 47 derbies.

Shahar: “We hope to continue the momentum we created”

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Ido Shahar is experiencing the best season of his career as he scored 10 of his 14 goals this season in league matches. From his position in midfield, Shahar, is Maccabi’s joint top scorer together with Dor Peretz who scored one more goal in the league. While Peretz was on target in Wednesday’s State Cup Semi Final victory over Maccabi Haifa, Shahar missed a penalty which would have taken his tally this season to 15 in all competitions.

Ahead of Sunday’s Tel Aviv derby against Hapoel at Bloomfield, where local pride will take center stage, Shahar said: “A derby is a derby. Everyone knows the meaning of this game, for the players, the Club, and the fans. We are preparing as we do for every match. We’re coming to win, and we do have a good feeling after the recent victory in the Cup against Maccabi Haifa. We hope to continue the momentum we have created, come to win tomorrow and look as good as possible.”

Bloomfield stadium is expected to be full again to its’ capacity after the Home Front Command lifted all the restrictions following the ceasefire with Iran and Lebanon. Sahar, didn’t hide his excitement as he admitted: “We are happy the fans are back and that Bloomfield will be full, I am sure it will help us a lot and give us a real boost.”

Shahar who has an excellent success rate from penalties, spoke on the spot kick he missed against Haifa on Wednesday: “It was a bit frustrating to miss a penalty, but I know it’s part of the profession. I always say, if you don’t take them, you don’t miss. After the penalty I told myself that the most important thing is the next action. I managed to win the ball back, and most importantly, we won. Dor (Peretz) came over and said a few words which gave me a lift.”

Local pride will not be the only thing at stake as Hapoel are neck and neck with Maccabi in the table as only goal difference separates the two sides in the table: “I understand what the fans are feeling” Shahar said. “I don’t think the derby is more important than the Haifa match, Haifa was also a very important game. We’re level on points and everything is tight. Even after the run was broken, we as players take it in a positive way. It’s a privilege to be under this kind of pressure and in these situations. We want to take that pressure and turn it into positive energy, and make our fans as happy as possible.”

On Wednesday’s Cup victory which was the first victory Maccabi recorded over one of the ‘Big Guns’ over 90 minutes this season, Shahar said: “It’s a fact that we haven’t beaten the big teams. Maccabi is the biggest club in the country, we come to win every match. It has been a bit of a strange season, with a lot of changes in the squad and many new players. I can’t remember Maccabi having such a young squad in a long time, but we take that positively.” Despite his young age, Shahar, who emerged from Maccabi’s Youth Department, is one of the most experienced players in the squad. “To keep the club’s DNA as it was, and it’s still there. There’s also the war situation, which affects all teams. For us, the season isn’t over and there’s still a lot to play for. We’re not giving up on any title or any match. This upcoming game is very important for us.”

On the competition for places in midfield, Shahar, who will be making his 40th appearance in all competitions this season and a total of 113 in Yellow and Blue, added: “In the end, we’re used to it. There’s competition across the squad, every position has competition. We like that, and ultimately it pushes the team forward.”

On Maccabi’s targets this season, Shahar said: “Our goal is to win the league, the cup, basically to fight for every title. We did everything to enter the playoffs from first place, unfortunately it didn’t happen. But we haven’t given up, and the season isn’t over yet.”

Roi Mishpati: “The coach gave me confidence, he felt he could rely on me”

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Mishpati, whose last appearance was in the 5-0 Quarter Final victory over Maccabi Jaffa back in February, spoke of his relationship with Ronny Deila: “The coach spoke with me and gave me confidence. He felt he could rely on me, and he showed it by letting me start in such an important match. I’m glad I was able to repay him on the pitch.”

 

On his thoughts ahead of the Final against Hapoel Be’ersheva at the end of May, Mishpati said: “I always believe, if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be sitting here. I really love these moments against the big teams, and it’s a shame the stadium wasn’t full.”

Mishpati, who watched his fellow keeper Ofek Melika from the bench, said of Maccabi’s recent defeat to Be’ersheva: “It was a key game for us. We didn’t manage to get a good result, but before the semifinal we talked about what’s left until the end of the season and about doing something special. That’s what we’ve been discussing in recent days, me, Dor, Ali, everyone with experience, and we managed to pass on to the younger players that this is the important game.”

In view of Sunday’s Tel Aviv derby, Mishpati said: “Of course, we’ve already started talking in the dressing room about the derby. For us, it’s the most important match and the main goal right now.”

Asante: “We showed what kind of team we can be”

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Tyrese Asante’s second half earned helped Maccabi book their place in the State Cup final against Hapoel Be’ersheva. The 24-year-old Dutch defender who scored his second goal this season at Teddy, was relieved at bouncing back following the defeat to Hapoel Be’ersheva on Sunday. “We didn’t play the way we usually do or want to, so we knew we had to give more in this game, and we did. We showed what kind of team we can be, and you saw it today in both the performance and the result.”

Asante who celebrated with a swimming gesture as a response to a social media jab by Be’ersheva’s Kings Kangwa, admitted: “I know how these things work. It’s funny, I laughed about it. The best thing you can do is respond on the pitch. It’s funny, that’s all it is. I wasn’t offended, that’s how it goes. When someone does something good, they can talk, and I responded on the field.”

Ahead of Sunday’s derby against Hapoel Tel Aviv which will kickoff the Playoff, he said: “We want to win every game. The last derby didn’t go the way we wanted and we lost. We need to bounce back, we still have that anger in us. We’re upset we lost, and we’re the ones who can fix it. We know our abilities, and the fans need to be behind us in the match. We’re giving everything, and we’ll try to keep giving everything.

State Cup: Maccabi beat Haifa 3-2 to reach Final

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Preivew

Maccabi Tel Aviv arrived at Teddy stadium for the State Cup Semi Final against Maccabi Haifa which was rescheduled following the war with Iran and relocated from Sammy Ofer to the capital.

Three days after the disappointment of the 3-1 league defeat to Hapoel Be’ersheva in the final match of the regular season and before the Playoff kickoff this Sunday, Maccabi turned their attention to the Cup. Head Coach Ronny Deila will try and guide Maccabi to a victory against a Haifa side that his predecessor didn’t beat in two attempts in the league this season drawing 1-1 at Bloomfield in October and suffering a 4-1 defeat at Sammy Ofer in January.

Deila named Roi Mishapti as the 33-year-old keeper whose last appearance was during the Quarter Final 5-0 victory over Maccabi Jaffa in February, replaced Ofek Melika in goal. Eli Camara returned to the starting line-up and partnered Heitor dos Santos as the two central defenders in front of Mishpati. Making his 80th appearance for Maccabi in all competitions, Tyrese Asante, returned to the role of right-back. Roy Revivo completed Maccabi’s back-four on the left side of defense. Deila stuck with the same midfield trio of Itamar Noy in the anchorman role right behind Maccabi’s leading goalscorers Ido Shahar and Dor Peretz. Helio Varela and Osher Davida were named by Deila on both wings supplying the width to Maccabi’s formation. In the absence of Saied Abu Farchi who is serving a one-match touchline ban for the fifth booking he collected against Be’ersheva on Sunday, Deila named Elad Madmon. The 22-year-old forward who scored five goals in all competitions this season and was last on target at Teddy during the 3-1 victory over Hapoel Jerusalem in January, will lead Maccabi’s attack.

On the substitutes bench Deila welcomed back into the squad midfielder Issouf Sissokho who recovered from an injury and Emir Sahiti who returned to Israel. The duo, were named amongst the substitutes together with Melika, Sagiv Jehezkel, Raz Shlomo, Yonas Malede, Noam Ben Harush, Ben Lederman and Lotem Asres.

First Half

Only a total of five thousand fans were allowed to attend due to the restrictions of the Home Front Command but those present gave the players a vocal support worthy of the occasion. Maccabi came close to draw first blood as early as the third minute as the ball reached Ido Shahar inside the box. The midfielder flicked a shot which Haifa’s keeper Georgiy Yermakov saved with his foot onto the post before catching the ball at the second attempt. Four minutes later Shahar was at it again as Roy Revivo released Elad Madmon into the box before his cut- back reached Shahar whose effort was punched away by Yermakov. Roi Mishpati was drawn into the action at the opposite end in the 10th minute as he was at full stretch to push out a Manuel Benson dangerous dipping shot.

The deadlock was broken in the 15th minute at the end of a spectacular team effort. Revivo fed Helio Varela down the left before slipping the ball to Madmon whose low cross was swept home by Dor Peretz. Maccabi’s lead didn’t last long as Haifa were back on level terms within three minutes. A long ball by Abdulaye Seck caught Maccabi’s defense flat before Ethan Azoulay left Hetor Dos Santos behind him and blasted a shot into the top corner.

Itamar Noy was booked on the half hour mark for tugging Kenji Gorre just inside Maccabi’s half. Six minutes later Shahar was booked as well for a professional foul on Gorre but within a minute Maccabi came close to restore their lead. Varela broke down the left and fed Madmon who shrugged off Abdoulaye Seck before sending a back heel which rolled between the legs of Lisav Eissat to free Peretz. With only Haifa’s keeper to beat Maccabi’s captain had his shot saved by Yermakov to deny Madmon what would have been a glorious assist. A dangerous Seck header forced Mishpati to a spectacular save at the near post. But at the opposite end, the crossbar denied Revivo as his chip to the far post eluded Yermakov and rolled on the frame of the goal before Peretz had his rebound blocked. On the brink of halftime Noy managed to block a Seck effort as Sapir Berman’s whistle sent both teams to regroup during the break.

Second Half

The second half began where the first one left off as Haifa looked dangerous mostly from set pieces. In the 56th minute Deila made three changes as Raz Shlomo replaced Heitor, Issouf Sissokho came on for Noy while Emir Sahiti was introduced for Osher Davida. The impact was almost instant as Sahiti’s pressure on Haifa’s defense gifted Madmon the ball as the young forward gained control and blasted a shot which was deflected out for a corner. Maccabi took the lead from the resulting corner as Revivo curled a pinpoint cross to pick Tyrese Asante whose header at the far post put Maccabi in front.

Deila’s side continued their pressure and in the 62nd minute Peretz slipped the ball to Shahar whose attempt of a cut back was blocked by the arm of Seck. Berman didn’t spot the handball initially, but VAR intervened and called the referee to the screen. A penalty was awarded before Shahar stepped up but his spot kick which could have increased Maccabi’s lead cleared the crossbar. The end-to-end action continued as Mishpati pulled a stunning goalmouth save before Seck bundled the ball in. But the referee assistant raised his flag for offside and the goal was disallowed.

In the 76th minute Maccabi managed to get that two goal lead at the end of deadly counterattack. Madmon turned his man near the halfway line before releasing Shahar who continued to Varela. The Cape Verde winger spotted Revivo making the overlap run as he slipped him the ball before Revivo squeezed his shot from a tight angle that beat Yermakov. Shahar bowed out and was replaced by Ben Lederman on 77 as Deila added a fresh pair of legs into the midfield. In the 86th minute Deila made his fifth substitution with Noam Ben Harush coming on for Varela. The fourth official indicated seven minutes of added time, and with two minutes left a goal mouth scramble saw Haifa claimed the ball had crossed the line. VAR checked the incident before awarding Haifa’s Silva Kangani a goal. Haifa tried desperately to level the score and even sent Yermakov forward for corners, but Maccabi defended the narrow lead to the end and celebrated a place in the final against Be’ersheva which will also be played at Teddy on may 26th.