Category: News

Comeback: Maccabi defeats Reykjavik 3-1

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Maccabi Tel Aviv will take a 3:1 advantage into the second leg of their two legged Europa League second round qualifying tie thanks to three second half goals by Aaron Schoenfeld, Vidar Kjartansson and Omer Atzily after spotting Reykjavik the first goal of the contest. The Yellow & Blue will travel to Iceland next week for the second leg on Thursday July 20th.

Head Coach Jordi Cruyff’s Starting XI was anchored by keeper Predrag Rajikovic with Davidzada, Dasa, Tibi and Ben Haim playing in front of him. Captain Sheran Yeini manned the midfield along with Eyal Golasa and Shlomi Azulay as Avi Rikan, Omer Atzily and Icelander Vidar Kjartansson played up top.

Available on the bench was keeper Daniel Tenenbaum, Dor Peretz, Eliel Peretz, Barak Itzhaki, Aaron Schoenfeld, Yonatan Cohen and Yuval Shpungin.

First Half
The visitors went on a 2nd minute fast break but Rajikovic was up to he task early on to cut off the threat. Ten minutes later Atzily had Maccabi’s first chance of the contest as his corner came into the box but was cleared to safety.

In the 21st minute Dasa gave Golasa a nice cross but his header went wide of the target while five minutes later Kjartansson’s attempt was saved at the last moment by the Icelandic keeper. Atzily lifted a ball into the box to Rikan but he couldn’t find the handle on it in the 35th minute. After ten more minutes of back and forth football the sides went into the break goalless.

Second Half
The Yellow & Blue looked to get onto the board early but Rikan’s 50th minute scorcher went over the bar and Golasa’s screamer flew above the goal in the 54th minute as the match remained tied at 0:0.

However, that would not last for long as Palmi Palmason headed the ball in off a Kennie Chopart cross in the 58th minute and the Icelandic side took a 1:0 lead.

Cruyff made a double substitution 3 minutes later bringing on Aaron Schoenfeld and Barak Itzhaki in favor of Azulay and Rikan and the move paid off beautifully just four minutes later as Schoenfeld put home the ball after a scrum in the box to draw even 1:1.

In the 71st minute Reykjavik almost took the lead as Fridgeirsson’s opportunity was taken care of by Rajikovic. Dasa and Atzily tried their luck to find the Yellow & Blue’s 2nd goal of the match but came up empty, however, Vidar Kjartansson didn’t as he slotted the ball home in the 78th minute thanks to an Itzhaki pass for a 2:1 advantage.

With Maccabi hunting for a third marker they would find it via Omer Atzily as number 7 pounced on a rebound and pounded the ball into the Reykjavik goal for a 3:1 lead in the 82nd minute. Eliel Peretz came on for Atzily five minutes later to a round of applause as the Yellow & Blue wrapped up a tidy 3:1 victory and will now head to Iceland for the 2nd leg next on Thursday night July 20th.

Did you know? Icelandic Football Facts

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Euro 2016 was the first big tournament that Iceland participated in. But they didn’t just come to be counted, they came to be seen and made it all the way to the quarterfinals. Along the way they defeated England 2:1 in the Round of 16. But another unforgettable moment was the announcer’s call of the team’s winning goal in a 2:1 victory over Austria in the group stages. Remember?

With a population of only 332K, 10% made their way to France to cheer on the national team (as a comparison, Israel would have had 810K present). In fact, Iceland is the country with the smallest population to have ever appeared in the European Championships.

Due to the cold weather and the very short days of winter with little sunlight, Iceland also plays football in enclosed facilities. The country has taken this on as a major project and over the past 15 years they have invested in 7 full sized indoor facilities plus another 150 smaller ones.

Even though the country may be small in size, 17 footballers have played in the English Premier League including Eidur Gudjohnsen and Gylfi Sigurdsson.

Photo: Gudjohnsen Chelsea FC ()

There are currently 20,000 registered footballers along with 79 adult clubs in five leagues. The Iceland top division was founded in 1912.

KR Reykjavik is the most decorated club in the country with 26 league championships and over 50 national titles.

Kjartansson: “I’m not thinking about favorites”

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Vidar Kjartansson, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s number 9 spoke about the upcoming contest against KR Reykjavik tomorrow evening at the Netanya Stadium, 18:00. The Icelandic striker

“I played against them a lot of times and it’s always been one of the best teams in Iceland.”

His feelings about the encounter:
“It was a good feeling. I haven’t played an Icelandic team since I went abroad so I am looking forward to playing against them.”

Rotating players:
“We have only been together for a few weeks and we need to play a rotation, It’s important that all the players will be fit and that everyone gets playing time.”

Expectations after leading the league in scoring last season:
“It’s always been an expectation where I’ve been playing and I’ll be ready for the pressure.”

Familiarity with KR:
“I know many of the players and I’ve played with some on my hometown club.”

Maccabi as favorites:
“I’m not thinking about favorites. There are only two games and we saw teams move to the group stages from small counties, so we have to be prepared.”

Playing under coach Jordi Cruyff:
“You saw it last year when we won almost every game under his direction. Hopefully this year will be even better than last year.”

Cruyff: “I don’t believe in easy games”

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Jordi Cruyff, the Yellow & Blue boss spoke prior to the Club’s Europa League Second Round First Leg Qualifying match against KR Reykjavik from Iceland tomorrow at the Netanya Stadium, 18:00. The Head Coach discussed the lengthy season, Vidar Kjartansson, Icelandic football and about Thursday’s contest:

“I don’t believe in easy games. All games are hard. I hope we can improve week by week and reach the level that we want to be at. We will come with our plans and hope that we can stick to the plan.”

Icelandic football:
“Iceland has produced some good players over the last few years, both on the club and national team levels. Their football has been improving and we will respect them. It’s a small country but it’s growing. Remember that Iceland was in a big tournament and Holland stayed home.”

Match time being at 18:00:
“That’s how it goes sometimes and it will be difficult for everyone. We are ok with that. Most of the season we train in the morning and the rest of the time in the afternoon around 18:30.”

An evolving squad:
“We lost some players and brought some in and we are in the middle of rebuilding the squad.”

About Cristian Battocchio:
“He played for two years in the English Championship which is a physical and demanding league as is Ligue 2 in France. He has also played in Serie B and played a while ago for the Italy Under-21s. We expect him to play as Argentinian players perform, with character and give a little extra at the end. He’s not ready yet for the squad and we will give him time to adjust like we do with every foreigner.”

The absence of Dor Micha:
“We miss him and we hope he will be back as soon as possible.”

Vidar Kjartansson:
“Part of football is to know what your strengths and weaknesses are. So you need to know where to put the balls, if it is in the box or down the channels as they say in England, everyone has their strong points and we have to make sure to take advantage of that.”

The lengthy season:
“I believe very clearly that some players had 62 plus games and there isn’t one player that we can believe that can play every game and that we have to play a rotation. In Israel you play for almost 11.5 months and you need to use your whole squad.”

Final thoughts:
“I think it’s clear that my passion is in football.”

Know your Opponent: KR Reykjavik

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Maccabi Tel Aviv will face an opponent from Iceland for the second time in European competition when they host KR Reykjavik, the most decorated club in the country. Let’s find out what the Yellow & Blue can expect thanks Piotr Giedyk and Johann Sigurdsson two experts in the Icelandic football field.

“There are several key players who have played on the national team,” explained Giedyk, “Pálmi Rafn Pálmason, Óskar Örn Hauksson, Finnur Orri Margeirsson, Arnór Sveinn Adalsteinsson, Gunnar Þór Gunnarsson and the one I consider the best of the bunch – Indriði Sigurðsson. They are all very experienced and have been playing together for several years now which is the team’s strength.”

Sigurdsson said that Hauksson may cause problems for Maccabi, “He plays on the wings, mostly on the left one, is left footed and has a great shot. The club also has one of the best goalkeepers in the country in Stefan Logi Magnusson.”

When it comes to style of play Sigurdsson spoke about their usual tactics while also looking at how they will play in the match on Thursday against the Yellow & Blue, “They try to keep possession of the ball, but are not afraid of going a bit direct. They are not used to sitting deep much and they try to play positive football. But, I would expect them to be cautious in this game and they will probably defend deep.”

Giedyk talked about how Head Coach Willum Þór Þórsson is very experienced, “He has a lot of tactical knowledge and knows how to prepare for a hard game. A year ago (Europa League 2016/17) KR was close to eliminating Grasshoppers Zurich. The side played a great two legged tie but lacked a bit of luck. The coach gathered the most praise from the contests.” Sigurdsson also chimed in, “William Pór coached the team while he was a member of parliament. He is a no nonsense guy and always very lively on the sideline.”

While there probably won’t be many fans traveling to Israel for the first leg, Sigurssson said that KR boasts the most supporters in the country, “The fans can be noisy at home, but nothing to be afraid of. They do have a large following historically being the biggest club in Iceland.”

How will KR handle Maccabi in Europa League second round qualifying? “I think KR is a mature and experienced club. The team is not in the best shape yet, but can fight with Maccabi. An important issue is that KR is no longer amateur. KR Reykjavík presents professional football and in formal terms – most of the players have professional contracts now,” Giedyk commented.

Sigurdsson also gave his thoughts on the upcoming round, “I don´t expect them to have much of a chance against Maccabi Tel Aviv, but you really never know in football.”

KR Reykjavik Facts & Stats

  • KR will be the second team that Maccabi has faced from Iceland in European competition. The first club was Keflavík in the 1994/95 Cup Winners Cup as the Yellow & Blue won both legs by scores of 4:1 and 2:1. The goal scorers included two from Nir Klinger and single markers by Avi Nimni, Eli Driks as well as Gady and Alon Brumer.
  • The Icelandic outfit in the country’s most successful side winning over 50 domestic titles including, 26 League Championships, 14 Icelandic Cups, 7 League Cups and 5 Super Cups.
  • Reykjavik won 20 league titles between 1912-1968 but then it took 31 years to capture their next championship in 1999; their centennial year.
  • KR has never advanced to the Champions League or Europa League Group Stages. The furthest they have gotten in continental play was appearing in the third qualifying round of the Europa League twice, where they were eliminated by Dinamo Tbilisi in 2011/12 and Basel in 2009/10.
  • Other European foes that KR has faced have included Liverpool, Celtic, Everton and Torino.
  • The Club’s home stadium KR-völlur was built in 1951 and holds 2,700 spectators.
    Maccabi’s Icelandic striker Vidar Kjartansson has played against KR 4 times and has scored 3 goals against them in Úrvalsdeild action.

Kjartansson: “I’m looking forward to the match; it’s a special moment for me”

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Maccabi Tel Aviv will meet KR Reykjavik from Iceland on Thursday in the first leg of Europa League second round qualifying. For Vidar Kjartansson this will be a chance to play against one of the club’s from his homeland. Prior to the upcoming clash the striker spoke about his feelings concerning the Yellow & Blue’s opponent:

Kjartansson prior to the match against KR

CRISTIAN BATTOCCHIO JOINS MACCABI TEL AVIV

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Cristian Battocchio joined Maccabi Tel Aviv as the 25-year-old Argentine born midfielder successfully underwent a medical and signed a two-year-deal with an option for a further season. The diminutive midfielder who made 20 appearances for Italy’s U-20 and U-21’s, joins Maccabi on a free transfer after spending the last two seasons in France playing for Stade Brest.

Maccabi’s coach Jordi Cruyff told the club’s  official website: “Cristian is the kind of player we feel can give us a different dimension and upgrade our game”.

Cristian told the club: “I am happy to be here and sign for Maccabi. It is a new experience for me to sign for such a big club which will always fight for all the titles and competing in Europe is another challenge I am looking forward to”. 

The Rosario born midfielder who began his playing career at the Youth Academy of Newll’s Old Boys, joined Italian club Udinese in 2009 at the age of 16. In 2012 Battocchio joined Watford on loan and after impressing the Hornets boss Gianfranco Zola made the move to Vicarage Road permanent in 2013.
The arrival of former Maccabi coach Slavisa Jokanovic at Watford in 2014 saw Battocchio return to Italy and join Virtus Entella on loan before switching to Brest for which he scored 8 goals in 35 appearances last season.