Category: News

Peretz: “We didn’t win, but we are happy that we played well”

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Dor Peretz, the Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder spoke about his sides 0:0 draw with Hapoel Beer Sheva:

“We want to win every match and the fans want us to win as well. We’re happy that we played well and that we were the better side. We didn’t win but it’s not the end of the world.”

Personal play:
“I had a drop in our play last month but that was good as it’s like a wave and we can’t always play our best and how we would like to. But I am happy I’m back to where I need to be.”

Talented group of players:
“I think we have a great team and while the names may be different as long as we can continue this way we will be fine as we are a talented group.”

Concentrating on their own play:
“I felt that we were better from the start of the match. But Beer Sheva is a very good team with a lot of quality and can be dangerous when they press. However, we concentrate on our play and we want to end the season as best of possible.”

Personal goals:
“I’m working on a number of things which are very important to me. I want to end the season with my season high in goals. Hopefully I’ll add one or two more.”

Favorite position:
“I’m happy to play as a 6 or 8 and with Dan. Playing with all of the players is a real pleasure.”

The championship and family support: Jair Amador looks back

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Maccabi Tel Aviv faced Hapoel Beer Sheva on Monday and you voted for Jair Amador as the Factory 54 Man of the Match. One person who voted for Jair will win a 1,000 NIS gift certificate from Factory 54.

Following the match, Amador spoke to the Official website about winning the award:
“I want to thank all of the fans for their support in winning the Factory 54 Man of the Match award. I’m really content.”

Family support:
“My family came to Israel and were at the match. I’m really happy that they were here because when they cheer me on it gives me even more support and pushes me forward.”

About the match:
“Beer Sheva is a good team with quality players and they played better than the last time we met them. We played our football but we couldn’t score because we weren’t accurate enough near the goal. We had chances to win but the ball just didn’t go into the goal, but we knew to make sure we didn’t concede a goal.”

Hard work:
“I’m really happy that we won the championship and it wasn’t easy. We worked very hard all season long both the players and the professional staff. I’m very excited because it was very difficult.”

Ivic: “All of my players gave 100%”

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Vladimir Ivic, the Maccabi Tel Aviv Head Coach looked back at his side’s 0:0 draw against Hapoel Beer Sheva at the Netanya Stadium:

“I believe that we deserved more than one point and we were the better team during the game. My players fought to the last second.”

Target to win:
“I don’t know what their target was before the game, Our target was to win the game. We created a lot of opportunities in the first half and we controlled the game. I don’t remember that they had a chance, perhaps one. This is football when we should win 3 or 4:0 but we drew 0:0.

Showing character:
“All of my players gave 100% for their part in the championship. They are fighting until the end and all of them showed character.”

Beer Sheva as a future contender for the title:
“For sure they will be as Beer Sheva is a serious team and they won the last three championships. They are a quality team and they will be one of the opponents for the championship next season.”

Maccabi and Beer Sheva play to a goalless 0:0 draw

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Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Beer Sheva played to a goalless draw at the Netanya Stadium on Matchday 30 of the Israel Premier League Ligat Japanika as the Yellow & Blue dominated play but couldn’t break through the Southern Reds defense as each squad collected a point.

Head Coach Vladimir Ivic’s Starting XI included keeper Predrag Rajkovic, Maor Kandil, Eitan Tibi, Jair Amador, Enric Saborit, Avi Rikan, Dor Peretz, Dan Glezer, Omer Atzili, Yonatan Cohen, Aron Schoenfeld.

Available on the bench: Daniel Tenenbaum, Shahar Piven, Eli Dasa, Ophir Davidzada, Sheran Yeini, Itay Shechter, Eliran Atar.

First Half
Cohen sent Schoenfeld the ball in the 4’ but his attempt was blocked by the Beer Sheva defense and six minutes later Saborit’s chance was blocked by Loai Taha. Atzili’s 14’ shot went out and Cohen’s volley two minutes later was taken care of the Beer Sheva keeper Ohad Levita.

Dor Peretz was issued a yellow card in 24’ and three minutes later Rikan’s long distance chance went off of Marwan Kabha and went out as the ensuing corner kick saw Schoenfeld’s header just miss the target. Rikan’s 33’ attempt was blocked by the visiting defense while Saborit’s chip shot three minutes later just missed the goal.

Both Cohen and Rikan’s opportunities came up short in the 38’ and Cohen’s 43’ attempt went over the bar as the half ended goalless.

Second Half
Hanan Maman tried to get Beer Sheva on the board first but his shot was saved by Rajkovic in the 47’ while at the other end Kandil’s attempt was blocked by Levita. Itay Shechter entered the match in the 54’ replacing Schoenfeld and a minute later Saborit sent a cross to Atzili but his chance went out.

Rikan’s 58’ volley missed the target and four minutes later Eliran Atar came on for Atzili. Shechter handed the ball off to Glezer but his chance went over the bar in the 66’ as both sides spent the next quarter hour playing the majority of the time in the midfield.

Ophir Davidzada was introduced in the 83’ for Saborit and a minute later Kandil was issued a yellow card. Shechter and Atar each had chances in the 89’ to no avail and Atar’s 90’ attempt was caught by Levita as the match ended in a goalless draw.

When the stars align: Records set by Maccabi players this season

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Maccabi has scored 14 goals of their 64 from outside of the box. Eliran Atar scored the furthest goal on a free kick against Bnei Sakhnin from 23 meters.

Omer Atzili scored the fastest goal this season when it took only 28 seconds to find the back of the goal against Maccabi Netanya. His was Macacbi’s third fastest goal of all-time.

Atzili scored the latest goal, in the 94’ against Ashdod. The Yellow & Blue has scored 3 goals after the 94’ in their history.

Atzili has also scored 5 braces in league play this season (the most in league play this campaign). Only ten other Maccabi players have recorded braces in a season.

Atzili scored his last brace after coming on in the 70’ last matchday against Maccabi Netanya when he found the back of the goal twice via a penalty. He was the first Maccabi player and 4th all-time in league history to have scored two penalties as a substitute.

Maccabi’s undefeated streak is now 35 matches which is an all-time record for the club. Predrag Rajkovic is the only player to take part in all of the matches.

Eitan Tibi took part in his 6th Israel league title – 4th with Maccabi, one with Kiryat Shemona and Beitar Jerusalem. Only Alon Harazi (9), Arik Benado (9), Yaniv Katan (7), NIr Davidovic (7) have more championships than Tibi.

The central defender is also Maccabi’s all-time European appearance leader with 60. Predrag Rajkovic holds the record for most keeper appearances with 42.

Dor Micha is ranked second with 58 appearances and holds the Maccabi record for most assists with 9 helpers.

Test Yourself: Which Maccabi Hero Are You?

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Now the fun begins

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Every year we dream and imagine about this ceremony, lifting the championship plate and flying the Yellow & Blue flag high above the nation.

This time around it didn’t happen so quickly. One year and another and yet another went by. 108 opening and final whistles by the referee each lasting 90 minutes plus injury time until we won again. Until we returned the long awaited title from Beer Sheva back to Tel Aviv.

Thanks to all, Coach Vladimir Ivic and the pool of players who started and came off of the bench and some that even went back to the bench as well. To owner Mitch Goldhar who did not despair even when the color yellow faded. To the organization and management who allowed the footballers to reach such a wonderful achievement. In IDF terms they are called combat supporters.

This season was extraordinary. We followed the Yellow & Blue bus to all parts of the country and sang “You’ll never walk alone” to the club – and it was amazing. In the second playoff match when Aron Schoenfeld scored against Maccabi Haifa we weren’t contenders for the title but we were the champions.

There is no mathematical way to deny us of the title. And so with eight matches remaining before reaching the finish line, we have already crossed it in practice, formally and computationally. The final eight matches may just be a ton of fun for the championship which is already in our pocket. Now the fun begins. 

There was nothing like it before. Many of the hawk eyes said, “It was no big deal” because the “the league is weak.” This was the same league in which we couldn’t make our way to the top and we couldn’t prevent Beer Sheva from winning the championship. Why didn’t people say, “the league was weak” when Beer Sheva won? Because when it’s not in our favor they like to snoot and when it is, they want to spoil our joy. It won’t help them.

I will add a vague memory that relates mainly to members of my generation, who are already 80 years old and beyond. Only in the 1950s did this happen: there were 12 teams in the league, we played only two rounds and each win was worth two points. It was the Maccabi of Sheya Glazer, Eli Fuchs and Yitzhak Shneor who passed away, and Noah Reznik who has been blessed with long life. Maccabi had already won 21 games, but the football court disqualified the 22nd match against Hapoel Ramat Gan and ordered it to be repeated without the players who had participated in the contest in question. And that’s how the match ended up being a draw and Maccabi lost their only point on the way to the championship. This season we can sing that history has repeated itself.

Tzahov Oleh. Every season and if possible just like this season.

Yellow & Blue Youth Academy Results – April 13, 2019

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Maccabi Netanya 0:3 Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv (U19)
Matchday 26 of the Israel Youth Premier League saw Guy Tzarfati’s squad record the win and pick up 3 points. Eduardo Guerrero scored a brace thanks to a pair of assists from Bar Cohen while the third goal saw their roles reversed. The Yellow & Blue are in 2nd place, 3 points off the top of table. For the Full Match Report Click Here.

שערי השבת באקדמיית הנוער 13.04.19


Hapoel Haifa 1:2 Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv (U17)
The Under-17 side headed to an away match at the Carmel Reds on Matchday 26 and came away with the 3-points thanks to goals by Yali Lazar and Niv Berkovic. The Yellow & Blue are in first place and hold a double digit lead. A win next Matchday will crown the U17 champions. Head Coach Eliezr Ben Aharon summed up the win: “Any match at Kiryat Haim is difficult not just because of the quality of the opponent but also the condition of the pitch. The players understood quickly that we couldn’t play our regular style of football and put in place out game plan from the very first minute. The instructions were to take the game to the Haifa side of the pitch quickly and force them to make mistakes close to their goal in order to get closer to the championship. I hope we can do the job next match, Derby.”

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv 1:0 Maccabi Petah Tikva (U16)
The Under-16 team won a dramatic match with ten men on Matchday 26. Eran Sassi’s side are in 2nd place just two points off the top of the table thanks to Rotem Grama’s free kick goal just two minutes until the end of the match. Head Coach Sassi summed up the encounter, “This was a match between two quality sides and began with a high pace of play. However, we had a player who was sent off in the 20’ which influenced our game plan. The players showed character and fight as we continued to create chances while making sure our opponent stayed at bay. The second half was almost like the first and the players tired over the last twenty minutes. All of the substitutes did a great job and gave strength to the team. Thankfully we scored a goal near the end of the match and we knew how to maintain the result until the final whistle. It’s important to note that Ofek Sasson a U15 player was in the starting XI, was fantastic throughout the match and didn’t make a mistake. He played a mature game with a lot of confidence.”

Hapoel Ramat Gan 1:0 Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv (U15)
The U15 squad fell to Ramat Gan on Matchday 27. The Yellow & Blue were left with 9 players by the end of the match and are still in first place with a 2-point lead. Head Coach Ori David spoke about the match: “This was not a match where we saw a lot of football due to the poor pitch. We gave up a goal on a set piece and it was difficult for us to come back after having lost two players to red cards. Our sights are now on to the Derby which takes place in two weeks.”

Yeini: “We have plenty of goals ahead”

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Sheran Yeini, the Maccabi Tel Aviv Captain looked ahead at the club’s upcoming match against Hapoel Beer Sheva on Monday night (21:00) at the Netanya Stadium:

“We are playing a good quality team coming up and some of the players are on the National team. Usually the matches against Beer Sheva are good.”

Goals ahead:
“We have plenty of other goals ahead of us this season and we’ve already had a terrific season to date. We want to end the season with the most points ever in league play and also go undefeated but it’s very difficult. We are preparing in earnest for each and every match.”

Playing attractive football:
“We want to play attractive football and that’s the ideal. But we can’t take anything for granted and we have to ready ourselves as best as possible.”

About Jair Amador:
“Jair acclimated with the club from day one and he is very well respected. He’s strong and he’s an athlete. He has been playing more recently, but everyone on the team has to battle for their place.”

Playing central defender:
“I really enjoy being a central defender and I’ll do whatever is best for the team. I am happy yo do whatever the professional staff wants of me.”