Predrag Rajkovic, the Yellow & Blue keeper looked back at the Club’s Toto Cup, staying at Maccabi and Eliran Atar:

“I hope this is the first of three titles this season. We have to continue to play our way. We have a chance to take two more and if we can we want to take everything.”

The match:
“We kept the ball in the second half and didn’t panic. We deserved to win today.”

Changes from last season to this season:
“We had a lot of changes and we are a younger team than last season. We played well and like a team as we also did last season but we know each other better and we’ve improved a lot.”

Staying or going over the summer:
“You never know what is going to happen and I didn’t know if I was going to stay or go this summer. But I was prepared to stay no matter what because I’d be happy to play for Maccabi until the end of my contract.”

Continuing at Maccabi:
“In football and in life you never know what will happen. But I have a good connection with the staff from Serbia and they wanted to keep me in the team. If we can keep up as we have done up until now I’m sure it will be great.”

Eliran Atar:
“Coach Ivic has given him a lot of chances and he has shown us what he knows. He has helped us a lot and he has helped the team. We’re happy to have him.”

Vladimir Ivic, the Yellow & Blue Head Coach summed up his club’s 2:1 Toto Cup victory over Maccabi Haifa to win the Toto Cup:

“After the victory and the trophy it’s a nice moment for us. We deserved to win the title and we played better than our opponent in the second half as they waited for a counter attack. We were a team that had ball possession and we tried to attack with an organized game plan. We had a few chances that we created and we scored. That was our plan and how we wanted to play. We don’t have a lot of time to celebrate because we have the next game against Hapoel Tel Aviv on Monday.”

Strategy:
“For this kind of game you need to have a strategy as you have five substitutions in the Toto Cup and this is something that you have to prepare for. We knew we would use some of these players in the second half. We had already played Haifa in the league which was right after a European game and that match they had more power. We looked better in that game in the second half as well. Normally a team that has more time to rest is fresh. We used this strategy and we won.”

Eliran Atar’s Toto Cup Winner:
“Eliran Atar has scored a lot of goals and is an important player for us. He gives us quality in front and is very important for the team.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Maccabi Haifa 2:1 to capture the Toto Cup at the Moshava Stadium in Petah Tikva. Omer Atzily opened the scoring but Mohammed Awaed drew the Greens even before the break. However, Eliran Atar scored a magnificent goal in the 85’ to give the Yellow & Blue their second straight Toto Cup!

Head Coach Vladimir Ivic’s Starting XI included Predrag Rajkovic in goal, Eli Dasa, Jair Amador, Captain Sheran Yeini, Enric Saborit, Dan Glazer, Dor Peretz, Avi Rikan, Omer Atzily, Yonatan Cohen, Itay Shechter.

Available on the bench were keeper Haviv Ohayon, Chico Ofoedu, Dor Micha, Eliran Atar, Eitan Tibi, Eyal Golasa, Aaron Schoenfeld.

First Half
Atzily stole the ball in the 4’ and sent it to Shechter who handed it off to Peretz but his low shot went by the left post while 8’ later Haifa’s Nikita Rukavytsya long range attempt went out. In the 23’ Ernest Mabouka sent a wicked cross into the Maccabi area but Rukavytsya’s header missed the target while Mabouka again threatened Rajikovic 3 minutes later but the shot stopper made the save.

With the Greens controlling the momentum, Rikan took a long distance shot from outside of the box on the left side that Atzily pounced on the ball and put it behind Guy Haimov to give Maccabi a 1:0 lead in the 32’. Two minutes later Atzily tried to double the advantage but Haimov made the save.

However, Haifa evened up the contest in the 42’ when Shlomi Azulay sent a cross pitch pass from behind the halfway line to Rukavytsya who sent the ball in the box to Mohammed Awaed who scored from in close to send the side’s into the break all knotted up at 1:1.

Second Half
Dasa cut into the box on the 49’ but his tough angled shot went through the area and out while in the 55’ Ivic made his first two substitutes bringing on Dor Micha and Chico Ofoedu for Rikan and Atzily. Two minutes later Cohen had a magnificent free kick from right outside of the box but his laser beam went wide right of the goal.

In the 63’ Mabouka was dangerous yet again sending a smart pass to Awaed but the latter’s attempt was gobbled up by Rajkovic while at the other side of the pitch Saborit crossed the ball to Ofoedu but Haimov was able to make the last second save. Three minutes later Peretz sent the ball to Micha, handed it off to Ofoedu who got by his defender, but his shot was stopped by Haimov while in the 70’ Ivic made his third substitute introducing Eliran Atar for Cohen.

Glazer was issued a yellow card in the 72’ and two minutes later Ofoedu sent Atar a gorgeous cross but the latter just missed getting his head on the ball. Peretz came off for Eyal Golasa in the 76’ as Ivic used his 4th substitution as Toto Cup rules permit five substitutes. Shechter had a quality chance from the top of the box but his low liner went wide left of the goal.

With time winding down, Chico and Dasa gave and go as the latter left the ball for Atar at the top of the box who laced a scorcher off the right post and into the goal for a 2:1 Maccabi lead in the 85’. Eitan Tibi came on for Itay Shechter in the 89’ and Dos Santos and Golasa each received yellow cards one minute later as Maccabi Tel Aviv captured the Toto Cup for the second starlight season!

The Toto Cup’s current format has been around for 34 years and Maccabi Tel Aviv has taken part in each one of them.

To date, the Yellow & Blue have won the title 5 times and lost 3 times in the final. Maccabi has also featured in the semifinals 10 times. The 5 titles came in 1993, 1999, 2009, 2015, 2018.

The match against Maccabi Haifa will be the 9th time Maccabi will be in the final – more than any other club.

Maccabi’s Toto Cup record in 227 contests: 124 wins, 39 draws, 64 losses. Success rate: 60.4% – the highest percentage of any other Israeli club. Goal differential: 415:244.

This is the second time Maccabi will face Maccabi Haifa in the final. The last time they played each other was 2014/15 when the Yellow & Blue defeated the Greens 2:1.

Maccabi has met Beitar twice in the final and also faced Ashdod, Bnei Yehuda, Maccabi Petah Tikva and Hapoel Petah Tikva once each.

Avram Grant led Maccabi to 5 Finals – the most of any other Head Coach.

The biggest win in the final: 4:0 Maccabi Petah Tikva 1992/93. This was also the biggest win in the history of the Toto Cup Final.

84 players have appeared for Maccabi in the Toto Cup Final. Avi Nimni and Shura Uvarov have the most of ay other player with 5 appearances a piece.

Nimni is also Maccabi’s leading goal scorer in the final with 4 goals.

The legendary #8 is also the Yellow & Blue’s leading goal scorer in the competition with 25 markers. Eli Driks is second with 19 goals.

Netzach Masoubi is the only Maccabi player to have scored 4 goals in a Toto Cup match in 1992/93 in a 5:1 win over Maccabi Yavneh.

Sheran Yeini holds the record for appearances with 58. Driks and Uvarov are second with 53 matches each.

Maccabi has won their last 7 Toto Cup matches which is just one away from their record which was set in the 1990’s.

Maccabi Tel Aviv will host Hapoel Tel Aviv on Monday October 1st (21:00), Matchday 5 of the Israel Premier League Ligat Japanika. Tickets are on sale now via the Leaan Website, the Leaan Ticket Office located at 42 Frishman Street, Tel Aviv and via Telephone *8780.

You may purchase tickets on the Leaan Website by using the User ID and password. If you do know one or both of those details please send an email to support@leaan.co.il.

Home printing is available
Ticket sales are for Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters only. Supporters from the opposing team who enter the Maccabi Tel Aviv fan stands will be ejected from stadium and the ticket price will not be refunded.

Ticket Prices
Phone/Leaan Website
Youth/Soldier/Women – (Sections 109, 208-209 only) – 55 NIS
Lower East Stand – (Sections 108-109, 208-209 only) 105 NIS
West Stand – (Sections 206-207 only) 115 NIS
E+ – 305 NIS
Silver Section – 505 NIS

Leaan Ticket Office
E+ – 300 NIS
Silver Section – 500 NIS

Youth/Soldier/Women tickets are available for purchase by telephone only after identification.

Ticket Collection
Tickets may be collected at the Leaan Ticket Office located at 42 Frishman Street, Tel Aviv between Sunday-Thursday 09:00-19:00, Friday 09:00-13:30.
Tickets may be collected on Matchday at the Stadium ticket windows beginning 3 hours prior to the match until 45 minutes after the start of the match.