Kandil, joined Maccabi Tel Aviv FC from Bnei Yehuda in an exchange deal which took Mavis Chibota, Dor Jan and Suhil Armeli in the opposite direction. The 24-year-old right back, signed a three-year-deal with an option to extend by two more years which would keep him at Maccabi until the end of the 2022/23 season.

Kandil who will wear the number 30 shirt, told the club’s official website: “I am excited to join a club like Maccabi Tel Aviv. I worked really hard from a young age inorder to reach this moment and at this stage I would like to thank Bnei Yehuda for the good times I had there. After a relatively long summer I am delighted to have reached this moment. Now all I have left is to prove myself on the pitch”.

Maccabi’s CEO Ben Mansford added: “This is a transaction we have been working on for most of the summer and it is another part of our planned business we have been able to conclude on terms we are happy with. I would like to wish the players leaving Maccabi as part of us acquiring Moar Kandil all the very best with the future. All three have spent time in our Youth Department and have always been a pleasure to have around. In relation to Maor, he is a player that we have been monitoring for some considerable time. Maor has continued to blossom at Bnei Yehuda and we believe that now was the right time to add him to the Maccabi family. Maor is one of the best young defenders in Israel and I am looking forward to seeing him progress his career in the Yellow and Blue of Maccabi. Welcome Maor.”

 

A product of Bnei Yehuda’s Youth Department, Kandil had his first taste of senior football as he joined Maccabi Kabilio Yafo where he scored twice in 26 appearances for the third division side. In 2014/15 he joined Ramat Hasharon from the second division, scoring twice again in 30 appearances. Kandil then returned to Bnei Yehuda for the 2015/16 season and in his debut season of top flight football made 11 appearances in all competitions. The following season he scored his debut goal in the top flight against Ashdod in May before rounding off a successful season with a State Cup medal, beating Maccabi in the final less than a fortnight later. Last season, Kandil scored twice and added 37 more appearances for Bnei Yehuda to reach a total of 73 appearances in three seasons.

Sagiv Yehezkel will also join Bnei Yehuda on a season- long loan-deal. ‘Good luck Sagiv’

After already opening up the 2018/19 campaign in the Europa League, Maccabi Tel Aviv will host Beitar Jerusalem, this evening, Sunday July 29, 2018, 21:00 Israel time at the Netanya Stadium in the Toto Cup “European Clubs” match which will also begin domestic competition for the Yellow & Blue.

Come be a part of the action: Click here to purchase tickets for the match against Beitar Jerusalem

In the video: Victory over Radnicki

Maccabi enters this evening’s match after a 2:0 win over Radnicki in the first leg second round Europa Leagus action last Thursday. The Yellow & Blue will begin the defense of the Toto Cup in a match between two clubs that advanced to European competition with the winner playing in the semifinals while the loser will feature in a placement match.

This coming Thursday August 2nd, Maccabi will visit Nis, Serbia for the return leg against Radnicki and it will be interesting to see Head Coach Vladimir Ivic’s Starting XI for this evening’s contest. When he was asked about this following the first leg, the Serbian boss responded: “There will certainly be players who have not yet played and will get a chance. Who exactly? We’ll see right before the match.”

Beitar Jerusalem will come into the match after exiting Europa League qualifying when they fell to Chikhura of Georgia.

Fast Facts:

• Maccabi faced Beitar four times last season, all in the Ligat Ha’Al, Israel Premier League.
• Maccabi is the all time leader in Two Cup titles with five: 1993, 1999, 2009, 2015, 2018.
• This will be the first time that Maccabi and Beitar will play each other in the first match of the competition
• Maccabi has played Beitar 11 times in the Toto Cup. Record: 7 wins, 4 losses. The sides have played twice in the final, a 3:1 loss in 1997/98 and a 2:1 win in 1998/99
• As of today, Maccabi has played 225 Toto Cup matches. Record: 122 wins, 39 draws, 64 losses

Maccabi will enter the Toto Cup competition for the 34th time in their history. The Toto Cup began play in the 1984/85 season and there have been 1,666 matches played to date.

Maccabi has won the competition the most times of the 13 clubs that have captured the cup over the years with 5 titles in 1993, 1999, 2009, 2015 and 2018. In addition, the Yellow & Blue have lost 3 times in the final, they’ve made it to the semifinals 10 times, 5 times to the quarterfinals and 10 times they’ve ended their Toto Cup journey in the group stages.

Up until today, Maccabi has played 225 Toto Cup matches. Their record: 122 wins, 39 draws, 64 losses. Winning percentage: 60% which is the highest amongst all of the teams who have competed in the competition. Goal differential: 410:243.

The biggest victory: 8:1 over Ironi Rishon Le’Zion in the group stages of the 1998/99 campaign.

Maccabi’s first Toto Cup match took place at Bloomfield Stadium against Maccabi Petah Tikva on October 30, 1984 in a contest that ended in a 2:1 win for the Yellow & Blue. Alon Natan scored the first goal and Shahar Barel the second.

A little piece of history will occur against Beitar Jerusalem as this will be the first time that the two sides will face each other in the opening match of the competition.

Maccabi has met Beitar 11 times in the Toto Cup. Record: 7 wins, 4 losses. The team’s have played each other twice in the final: 3:1 loss in 1997/98 and a 2:1 victory in 1998/99.

Eli Driks has scored the most goals in the Toto Cup – 5 goals. Driks has also appeared in the most opening matches of the competition – 8 matches.

Toto Cup all time appearance leaders: Sheran Yeini 56, Aleksandr Uvarov 53, Eli Driks 53.

All time goal scoring leaders in the Toto Cup: Avi Nimni 25, Eli Driks 15, Amir Turgeman 14.

Central Defender Eitan Tibi looked back at Maccabi Tel Aviv’s 2:0 first leg second round Europa League victory, how the new players are acclimating to the Club and the immediate goals at hand:

“It was a decent performance defeating Radnicki 2:0, but as you know it’s just the first half. We have a tough away leg and we will prepare accordingly. We have to deal with what we did and focus on the next match.”

Importance of the Club:
“I can’t tell the journalists what to write, but the club made a decision and everyone knows how I feel about this Club and how important it is to me. I’ll give everything that I can to Maccabi and help take the Club back to it’s rightful place.”

About the new players Jair Amador and Enric Saborit:
“Jair is a new player and he is getting used to the Club just like Enric and the other young players. It’s great to play with him and I hope that as time goes by we will continue to improve and play even better.”

Dealing with the immediate goals:
“I think that over the past few years we always look at how we will do, but it’s very early on and we’re still building the team. It’s way to early to discuss the end when we’re just at the beginning. It’s not right for us to talk about the championship or the Cup. Right now we are dealing with the immediate goals which is next week’s match.”

Vidar Kjartansson, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Icelandic striker spoke about his team’s 2:0 win over Radnicki from Serbia in the first leg of second round Europa League qualifying at the Netanya Stadium:

“I feel good and we played a bit better today and we created more chances as we didn’t create so much in the last two games. It was also good that we scored early in the second half. 2:0 is a good result and credit to the team as we played well especially as we created many chances which was a problem the last two games.”

Looking ahead to the return leg next week in Serbia:
“It’s probably not enough. If they score early away we’ll be nervous. They are a good team and can punish us. But I think we played really well today. It will be a different game away and we will have to win and be prepared for anything.”

About the future:
“I’m concentrating on my future here and concentrating on winning games.”

The Yellow & Blue defeated Radnicki 2:0 in the first leg of second round Europa League qualifying at the Netanya Stadium on Thursday July 26, 2018. Maccabi Tel Aviv will look to advance to the third round after the return leg next Thursday, August 2nd against Radnicki in Nis, Serbia. Icelandic striker Vidar Kjartansson scored a second half brace with the second goal coming on a penalty after he had been pulled down in the box.

Head Coach Vladimir Ivic’s Starting XI included keeper Predrag Rajkovic, Eli Dasa, Jair Amador, Eitan Tibi, Enric Saborit, Avi Rikan, Dor Peretz, Dor Micha, Omer Atzily, Eliran Atar, Vidar Kjartansson.

Available on the bench were Haviv Ohayon, Itay Shechter, Matan Hozez, Sheran Yeini, Eyal Golasa, Aaron Schoenfeld, Ruslan Barsky.

Also on the Website:
Ivic: “This was just the first half, we must work hard towards next week”
Kjartansson: “Credit to the team. We created many chances”
First Half
With the first leg at home in the Netanya Stadium, Maccabi looked to take an early lead and almost did so in the 6’ when Rikan gave Atar a beautiful ball down the left side. The winger sliced into the box but his well taken strike was saved by the Radnicki keeper Mladen Zivkovic. Two minuets later Tibi gave Kjartansson a wonderful pass but his effort went off the bar and in the 9’ Atar’s opportunity was also stopped by Zivkovic.

It looked like the Yellow & Blue took the lead in the 16’ when Kjartansson headed the ball behind the Radnicki keeper but the play was ruled offside. The Icelandic striker left Atzily the ball in the 23’ but his attempt from 25 meters sailed out and five minutes later Rikan’s low blast just went by the right post and out.

Dasa was issued a yellow card in the 35’ while three minutes later Kjartansson handed Atzily the ball in the box but his shot went into the Radnicki defense and was cleared. In the 41’ Atzily’s shot from the top of the box was handled easily by Zivkovic, while Rikan’s off balance attempt three minutes later went just by the right post and out as the half ended goalless.

Second Half
Coach Ivic made his first substitution at the start of the second half introducing Eyal Golasa in favor of Rikan to freshen up the attack and it didn’t take long for Maccabi to find the back of the goal soon thereafter. Atzily sent a pass to Kjartansson who took a sharp angled shot from the right of the goal and slid the ball behind the keeper for a 1:0 lead in the 51’.

Atzily and Atar teamed up in the 55’ when the former sent the latter a corner to the top of the box, but number 16’s shot got tangled up in the Radnicki defense. Bondatenko tried his luck for the visitor’s in the 57’ from 17 meters but his effort went over the bar and 8 minutes later Peretz headed Atzily’s corner towards the goal but Zivkovic made a miraculous save to keep the score as is.

Matan Hozez replaced Atar in the 66’ and two minutes later Micic stole the ball in the midfield but his attempt was saved by Rajkovic. As Maccabi looked for their second goal of the match, Kjartansson was pulled down in the box and converted the penalty from 11 meters to give the Yellow & Blue a 2:0 advantage in the 68’.

Atzily tried his luck from 25’ but just missed the goal in the 74’ while number 7 took a well timed shot from the top right hand corner of the box but the ball just cleared the bar and went out. The aforementioned Atzily then was issued a yellow card in the 77’ and a second yellow resulting in a red card three minutes later after the referee ruled that he had simulated in the box. Ruslan Barsky was Ivic’s third substitution for Micha in the 85’ as Maccabi Tel Aviv wrapped up a 2:0 first leg victory with the return leg slated for next Thursday, August 2nd in Nis, Serbia.