Category: News

Maccabi Tel Aviv captures the Toto Cup with a 1:0 win over Beer Sheva

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The Yellow & Blue won the Toto Cup for a record 5th time in franchise history thanks to a late header by Icelandic striker Vidar Kjartansson in the 83’ to defeat Hapoel Beer Sheva 1:0 and hoist the trophy!

Head Coach Jordi Cruyff’s Starting XI featured Predrag Rajikovic in goal along with Yuval Shpungin, Jean-Sylvain Babin, Eitan Tibi, Ori Davidzada, Dor Peretz, Eyal Golasa, Avi Rikan, Dor Micha, Nick Blackman and Eliran Atar.

Available on the bench were Daniel Tenenbaum, Eli Dasa, Jose Rodriguez, Vidar Kjartansson, Barak Itzhaki, Aaron Schoenfeld and Tal Ben Haim.

Beer Sheva’s Starting XI included keeper Guy Haimov, Michael Ohana, Dan Einbinder, Hatem AlHamid, Ben Bitton, John Ogu, Loai Taha, Maor Melikson, Mihai Korhut, Maharan Radi and Ben Sahar. Bench: Dudu Goresh, Guy Melamed, Vladimir Broun, Dor Elo, Matan Ohayon, Tomas Pekhart.

First Half
Blackman had the first chance of the match when he headed the ball over the bar off a Micha cross from the right in the 9’ while Davidzada picked up a yellow card in the following minute. Rikan launched a laser from just outside of the box in the 16’ after taking a pass from Atar, but Haimov made the diving stop to keep the contest goalless.

Ex-Maccabi midfielder Einbinder had Beer Sheva’s first chance of the match when he drove a scorcher for the top right hand corner of the goal, but Rajikovic made the save in the 27’ while 4 minutes later AlHamid headed the ball off a free kick towards the goal but Rajiko was again up to the task. In the 33’ both Taha and Rikan received yellow cards from the referee while Golasa’s attempt from outside the box a minute later missed the target as did Blackman’s shot which went over the bar.

The Yellow & Blue got even closer in the 39’ when Davidzada came into the box from the left, passed the ball to Blackman who sent it to Rikan in the middle of the area, but #22 put it over the bar. Blackman’s free kick from the right side 3 minutes later was stopped by Haimov as he dove to his left and sent the ball out for a corner while Golasa’s 16 meter attempt in the 44’ missed the target as the sides went into the break goalless.

Second Half
Beer Sheva made three substitutions to start the half bringing on Elo, Broun and Pekhart for Ogu, Ohana and Biton. Maccabi had a quick chance in the 47’ but Atar’s weak attempt went into the Beer Sheva defense while four minutes later Tibi pulled down Elo as the ensuing free kick was stopped by Rajikovic and sent out for a corner.

Cruyff made his first substitution of the match when he inserted Dasa for Ofir Davidzada in the 57’ while one minute later Broun’s header as well as Pekhart’s went out. At the other end of the pitch Maccabi had a magnificent chance when Atar put a scorcher on goal as did Blackman in the 64’ but Haimov was in place once again. Elo cut into the box in the 68’ but Rajikovic made the diving stop as the tension increased and the match remained goalless.

Beer Sheva brought on Ohayon for Taha in the 75’ while Vidar also entered the contest for Atar. And what did the Icelander do on his first chance? He scored a header off a Rodriguez cross to give the Yellow & Blue a 1:0 lead in the 83’. Schoenfeld came on for Blackman in the 86’ as Maccabi looked to close out the game. Ben Haim came on for Micha in injury time as Maccabi closed out the contest and lifted the Toto Cup a record 5th time in franchise history!

Will Maccabi set a record? Facts & Stats ahead of the Toto Cup Final

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This season was the 33rd campaign in which the Toto Cup was played with teams from the top league and Maccabi has been part of the competition in each. The Yellow & Blue have won the trophy four times in 1993, 1999, 2009 and 2015 and have featured in the final 7 times.

גמר גביע הטוטו 17/18 | פרומו


Should Maccabi win the Toto Cup they will be the all time leader with 5 titles.

This will be Maccabi’s 8th appearance in the final which is the most of any other club.

In addition, the Yellow & Blue have played in 10 semifinals, 5 quarterfinals, while ten times they didn’t get out of the group stages.

Maccabi’s all time record in 224 Toto Cup matches stands at 121 wins, 39 draws and 64 losses.

With a 59.8% win percentage they lead all of the other teams in the country. Goal differential 409:243.

Maccabi in 7 Toto Cup Finals:
The only club that Maccabi has faced twice is Beitar Jerusalem. They have also played Maccabi Haifa, Ashdod, Bnei Yehuda, Maccabi and Hapoel Petah Tikva in the tittle match. Tonight’s contest against Hapoel Beer Sheva will be the first time the club’s are facing each other in the final.

Avram Grant led the Yellow & Blue to 5 Toto Cup Finals, the most of any other coach.

The players who have appeared in the most Toto Cup Finals: Avi Nimni and Shura Uvarov – 5 times each.

Players with 4 appearances include: Amir Shelah, Noam Shoham, Eli Driks and Nir Klinger. 

Avi Nimni leads all scorers for Maccabi in a final with 4 goals.

The biggest Toto Cup Final win – 4:0 over Maccabi Petah Tikva 1992/93.

This was the biggest win for any one club in the final. Maccabi players who scored that match included: Meir Melika with a brace, Nir Klinger and Avi Nimni.

21 Toto Cup Finals have been played at Ramat Gan Stadium.
This will be the fourth Toto Cup Final in a row that will be played at the Netanya Stadium.

Youth Department Action Saturday December 16, 2017

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Hapoel Nir Ramat Hasharon – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv (Tuesday December 19, location TBA)
After a fiver against Ashkelon last Matchday, the Under-19 side will look to keep up their positive momentum when they play at Ramat Hasharon on Matchday 11 of the Israel Youth Premier League Ligat Ha’Al. The young Yellow & Blue are in 6th place after two wins in a row while the hosts sit in 12th place and are winless in three straight.

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv – Hapoel Haifa “Ben Zion”, 11:00 Kiryat Shalom Synthetic (Under-17)
The U17 squad will host the Reds from the Carmel on Matchday 10 as Eliezer Ben Aharon’s club sit atop the table in first place without a loss. Haifa are in 12th place and have won only two matches this season.

Hapoel Nir Ramat Hasharon – Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv, 08:30 Ramat Hasharon Synthetic (U16)
Maccabi “Eli Fuchs”, the club’s Under-16 team are in 6th place with six league wins as they head to Ramat Hasharon for a Matchday 11 date against the 11th place side who sport 3 victories.

Ironi Modiin – Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv, 14:00 Modiin (U15 South)
After a one week break the Under-15 South side is back in action with an away contest on Matchday 9 against the 11th place Modiin team who are currently in 11th place with one league win. Ori David’s squad are in first place and are undefeated.

Maccabi “Ilan” Tel Aviv – Hapoel Nir Ramat Hasharon, 09:00 Kiryat Shalom Synthetic (U15 North)
After finding the back of the goal 12 times last week, the Under-15 North club will look to keep up their winning ways against 10th place Ramat Hasharon who have lost two in a row on Matchday 9. The young Yellow & Blue are in third place just 3-points off the top of the table.

Holiday of the Maccabis: Hanukkah Candle Lighting for the 2nd night

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The Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department held a celebratory Hanukkah candle lighting ceremony hosted by Department Manager Guy Zukerman at the Kiryat Shalom Training Facility. This is an annual tradition that is put together by the Youth Department personnel each and every season.

The guests were treated to doughnuts and other Hanukkah delights. The Club CEO Ben Mansford, First Team Head Coach Jordi Cruyff, along with other senior staff members including Steve McClaren, Juan Torrijo, Dani Poyatos and Yoav Ziv attended the event. Patrick van Leeuwen the Club’s Performance Director also enjoyed the special evening together with the other Youth Department coaches and staff members.

The man behind the Goalkeepers: Get to know Israel Ainy

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On December 18th the Maccabi Tel Aviv Academy will hold open an training day for goalkeepers from throughout the country. Throughout the day there will be specific training for keepers by age group according to the philosophy of the Maccabi Academy. There will also be various goalkeeper competitions and prizes for the most outstanding keepers. The Youth Department will see which keepers will impress and those who do will be invited for trials with the various teams in the Academy.

Israel Ainy, the Head of the Goalkeeper Department at the Academy is handling the Open Day and further information can be found by CLICKING HERE

Ainy is the Head of the Goalkeeper Department at the Youth Academy as well as at both the North and South facilities. He is also the goalkeeping coach for the Under-19 club and the Under-13 squad.

There are 4 goalkeeper coaches in the Youth Department and they hold training sessions 6 days a week. Ainy’s main responsibility is to assimilate his goalkeeping philosophy and adapt it to the Academy’s philosophy with the ultimate goal of being able to help train and produce top level keepers for the First Team.

Israel is also responsible for establishing, organizing and managing goalkeeper training in Israel. He was part of the goalkeepers’ camp at the Wingate Institute with Frans Hoek, who was the goalkeeper coach at Ajax Amsterdam, FC Barcelona, ​​Bayern Munich and both the Holland and Poland National Teams. Ainy is also responsible for the training of dozens of goalkeepers in Israel. He has taken an UEFA coaching course and has trained in the Netherlands and Israel.

Nature of the position:
As the Head of the Goalkeeper Department at the Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Academy, I’m responsible for coaching and supervising the goalkeeper training that is in accordance with the Academy training philosophy.
Build training programs.
Train and the supervise goalkeeper training.
Transfer information between team coaches and goalkeeper coaches.
Monitor the development of the Academy goalkeepers (mental, technical, tactical and physical).
Analyze both training sessions and matches by with the help of the Academy analysts.
Discover potential goalkeepers (ages 6-19).

Ainy was asked why children shy away from being goalkeepers: “The role of the goalkeeper demands strong mental skills, there could be more risk for injury and disappointments as well. So children prefer to touch the ball more, pass, assist and score. I personally feel that there is a change in this trend in terms of children who want to become goalkeepers and that is due to the fact that they are watching more matches on TV and they want to idolize some of the top goalkeepers in the world.”

Tips for goalkeepers who are at the beginning of their careers: “I recommend attending the Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club Academy, where young goalkeepers will receive the highest professional attention and at top levels. The training conditions are excellent at the leading football club in Israel.”

Cruyff: “It’s a final and we’re going full out”

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Head Coach Jordi Cruyff and Barak Itzhaki addressed the gathered media ahead of Thursday night’s Toto Cup Final at the Netanya Stadium, 20:40.

Jordi Cruyff:
“It’s an important game with two big teams and when you reach a final you want to win and you want to fight. We will be putting out a strong team with the intention to win and gain confidence.”

Gaining confidence:
“We need to gain confidence and momentum. We have the quality but we have to show the winning quality and mentality. We are playing the strongest team in the country over the past couple of years, but it’s a chance to show our character. It’s a final and we are going full out.”

About Beer Sheva:
“The Club has made a step forward and they have been able to hold onto players, plus they’ve been able to sign interesting players. But they have been able to keep the veteran experienced core and that’s why they have been successful.”

Regaining the killer instinct:
“We have to get back to a winning formula with a killer instinct. We have to play a tough physical game.”

The final:
“A final is always two teams that want to win and give it all. It’s a game against Maccabi and Hapoel Beer Sheva, not two individuals. The club’s have a rich past, present and future.

Barak Itzhaki also commented:
“It’s two big and quality teams that will bring a good atmosphere. The players like these types of matches.”

Being a part of Maccabi Tel Aviv:
“It will be a very interesting match with two good teams and great squads. Winning a title will help us go on our way. We have a lot of respect for Beer Sheva but we can’t forget that we are Maccabi Tel Aviv and we want to win this match.”

Davidzada: “We believe in ourselves despite the disappointing results”

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All across Israel and the Jewish world the First Candle of the Hanukkah Holiday will be lit and the Maccabi Foundation was able to mark the day in a special way. Captain Sheran Yeini, Dor Micha, Avi Rikan, Barak Itzhaki, Ofir Davidzada along with CEO Ben Mansford visited the Dana Hospital in Tel Aviv to help cheer up the children, give out presents including scarves, Maccabi blankets and other Yellow & Blue goodies.

ביקור בבית חולים דנה


Ofir Davidzada spoke about the meaningful visit as well as the Club’s current state: “It’s always great to help cheer up the children. They are going through a difficult period and it helps put things in proportion. It may sound like a cliche, but it’s true. It helps put a smile on their faces and that makes it all worthwhile.”

About the Club’s current play:
“It’s true that our recent results are disappointing, but we believe in ourselves. We’re missing that one small goal in order to win a match. Yesterday, we completely controlled the pace of play and we weren’t missing much to win. If we could have scored early on everything would have opened up and the contest would have looked totally different.”

The championship battle:
We aren’t focusing on the championship right now as we have to get back to our winning ways which I hope will be very soon.”

Looking ahead to the Toto Cup Final:
“Anything can happen in a final against Hapoel Beer Sheva. Maccabi always comes in to battle for a title and we will come in ready to win.”

Maccabi Youth Department Delegation visits Valencia

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A delegation of Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department staff, including coaches Ben Kaplan and Idan Kazinitz along with Youth Department Manager Guy Zukerman visited Valencia last week and spent a number of days with one of the top Spanish La Liga clubs. On Sunday, the Yellow & Blue representatives were able to watch Valencia’s First Team training session and tour the training facility while also taking part in an inservice continuing education session with the club’s youth department.

The delegation also watched the U21 & U19 training sessions together with Luis Vicente Mateo, the Professional Director of the Valencia Youth Department. During that time, Mateo spoke about how to work with the younger age groups (6-21) and discussed the club’s magnificent training facility. The special visit was thanks to Juan Torrijo, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Head Fitness Coach who worked with the Spanish club for 16 years.