Preview:

Maccabi arrived at Turner stadium in Be’ersheva for the MD9 Winner League home match against Hapoel Kiryat Shmona aiming to bounce back from last week’s defeat to Beitar Jerusalem.

Zarko Lazetic’s side who are top of the table with 19 points will seek their 7th league victory against newly promoted side Kiryat Shmona that were 12^th before the match.

The Serbian coach made several changes to the side that lost at Teddy stadium with Stav Lemkin partnering Raz Shlomo as the two central defenders. Sagiv Jehezkel started at right back with Ofir Davidzada on the left completed Maccabi’s defense that lined up in front of Roi Mishpati. Joris van Overeem returned to the anchorman role and joined Gabi Kanichowsky and Dor Peretz as Maccabi’s midfield trio. Henry Addo and Osher Davida were the two wingers supplying the width to Maccabi’s formation with Dor Turgeman leading the attack.

On the bench alongside goalkeeper Simon Sluga, Lazetic named: Idan Nachmias, Tyrese Asante, Eran Zahavi, Wesley Patati, Elad Madmon, Issouff Sissokho, Hisham Layous and Ido Shahar.

First Half

Around 10,000 season ticket holders travelled to Be’ersheva for a home match away from home, showing the team their support. Four minutes from the start Osher Davida picked the ball deep inside Maccabi’s half and began a counterattack which saw Dor Peretz burst forward through the middle. Kiryat Shmona’s midfielder Christian Martinez charged Peretz down stopping the attack and was cautioned by referee Gal Cohen. In the 15th minute Davida had possession on the edge of Kiryat Shmona’s box and when it seemed as though the 23-year-old was going for goal he slipped the ball for Sagiv Jehezkel who couldn’t reach. Peretz tried a left foot shot which was directed straight at goalkeeper Assaf Tzur on 17 before Maccabi’s best chance to score came two minutes later. Davida found Dor Turgeman on the edge of the box as the forward chipped the ball back with a delicate touch to leave his teammate in front of goal. But with only the keeper to beat and in a glorious position to score, Davida miscued his shot wide of the target.

Maccabi continued to dominate enjoying most of the possession with Henry Addo tormenting Kiryat Shmona’s defenders on the left. Turgeman fired a shot wide on 26 and Peretz forced Tzur to stretch himself and turn a low drive for a corner a minute later. Two minutes after the half hour mark Jehezkel also went into the referee’s book for a foul on Jardel. Kiryat Shmona’s defense marshalled by Tzur in goal continued to frustrate Maccabi as the halftime whistle sent both teams into the dressing rooms to regroup ahead of the second period.

Second Half

As neither side made any changes at the interval, it was the visitors who exploited a mistake in Maccabi’s defense and almost drew first blood. A misunderstanding between Jehezkel and Mishpati who struggled to deal with a Tzur goal kick, gifted the ball to Alfredo Stephens. Kiryat Shmona’s striker who had the goal at his mercy somehow managed to roll the ball wide. Within a minute at the opposite end Turgeman rose high to meet Jehezkel’s pinpoint cross but sent his header crashing against the base of the post. In the 53^rd minute a last gasp Jehezkel tackle prevented Kiryat Shmona from scoring at the end of a counterattack that left Maccabi’s defense exposed.

Stav Lemkin limped off after suffering from a head injury and was replaced by Tyrese Asante in the 57th minute. Less than a minute later Addo charged into the area from the byline before his close-range effort was saved by Tzur near the goalmouth.

In the 70th minute Kiryat Shmona were awarded a penalty in controversial circumstances after VAR called the referee to the screen and Asante was judged to have pulled Alfredo’s shirt in the box. Kiryat Shmona’s striker tried dinking the ball over Mishpati but the cheeky attempt of a spot kick was easily collected by the keeper.

Seven minutes later, Maccabi were awarded a penalty of their own after Davida broke forward and slid the ball to Peretz who was fouled in the area by Shai Ben David. Lazetic made a triple substitution before the penalty was taken as Jehezkel, Davida and Joris van Overeem all bowed out and were replaced by Ido Shahar, Wessley Patati and Eran Zahavi. In his first touch of the game, Zahavi picked the ball up but saw his spot kick saved by Tzur. In the 81st minute the visitors’ punished as Nadav Niddam, on loan at Kiryat Shmona collected the ball deep inside Maccabi’s half, burst forward before feeding Mohamad Abu Rumi who buried his shot past Mishpati.

Lazetic made his fifth and final substitution with Elad Madmon replacing Addo for the closing stages.

The fourth official added seven minutes to the game, but nothing seemed to be working in Maccabi’s favor. In the final minute of added time Peretz headed a Kanichowsky free kick but Tzur managed to save and keep his goal locked before the final whistle was heard to end the game with a second successive league defeat. Attention will now turn back to Europe as Maccabi travel to Holland on Wednesday ahead of the Europa League match against Ajax.

The 3-1 defeat to Beitar Jerusalem at Teddy stadium on Monday was Maccabi’s first defeat in the league which kept them top of the table with 19 points from 8 matches.

What began as a convincing first half Maccabi display at Teddy which saw Zarko Lazetic’s side take a goal lead at halftime. But a dismal second half Maccabi display resulted with Beitar who were reduced to 10 men pull a three-goal comeback on the way to a 3-1 victory.

 

Three days after the defeat at Teddy, Dor Peretz, who captained Maccabi on the night struggled to explain what happened as he spoke at a Press Conference ahead of Kiryat Shmona: “It was one of the most bizarre things I experienced but everything has a reason. We will have to sober up, do our homework and learn from that to ensure we don’t encounter situations like that in the future. We have the privilege of learning from everything we experience.”

Peretz credited Beitar for their performance on the night as he added: “To their credit the managed to win the match against all the odds, maybe ii resulted from the knowledge that we walked off the pitch at halftime knowing they had a numerical disadvantage while we played one of our best halves. I am not capable of pointing out the exact reason it happened, but we just can’t afford as players and a team to allow that to happen”.

On the title race which currently has Maccabi with 19 points, Maccabi Haifa 16 points, Beitar Jerusalem 16 points with a game in hand and Hapoel Beersheva 15 after a deduction of one point, Peretz said: “The league table speaks for itself, and I am not here to declare who is challenging for the title and who isn’t. Every team which is in the top half of the table can compete in the race for the championship.”

Peretz, who made his 19th appearance for Maccabi in all competitions this season not including national team matches, dismissed claims that the overload and fatigue are claiming their toll: “there is an overload, but this is no excuse. As a player your dream is to play twice a week, to train as less as possible and show up for as many matches as you can. Once we have that privilege of playing as much as we can, in Europe or crucial matches, so I don’t think that this overload should be an excuse or a reason for something. One must adapt to everything, and I am not talking about matches as we are born to be in such moments. The flights, the trips back, the situation in Israel, national team duty, there are plenty of adaptations one needs to do and there are things one must do. It is a privilege to be in this position we are at.”

On the position he is playing this season which is further on the pitch he was used to, Peretz said: “I make my adaptations based on the instructions I receive from the coaching staff. I adapt myself to this coach and his predecessors. I am committed to this coach, and this is what I bring with me onto the pitch.”

On the fact Maccabi will not host the match at Bloomfield, Peretz concluded: “It is frustrating, but on the other hand considering the current situation the country is in – this is all decimated in comparison to other things. With all due respect to our frustration of not hosting at Bloomfield, we will put ourselves to the side for the moment.”

Preview

Ten days after beating Maccabi Haifa for a top of the table clash at Teddy, Maccabi returned to the Jerusalem stadium for a MD8 WINNER League match against Beitar. Zarko Lazetic’s side top the table with 19 points and have a four-point-lead from second place Hapoel Be’ersheva. Beitar, that recorded an impressive 3-2 victory against Haifa in midweek, are currently fifth with 13 points but have a game in hand.

Lazetic welcomed back into his squad Dor Turgeman (calf muscle), Sagiv Jehezkel (cheekbone) and Eran Zahavi who recovered from illness. Roi Mishpati kept his place in goal at the stadium he made his man-of-the-match performance against Haifa last week.

Raz Shlomo and Nemanja Stojic were named as the two central defenders at the heart of Maccabi’s defense. Tyrese Asante returned to the role as right-back while Sagiv Jehezkel who made a substitute appearance against Real Sociedad made his first start since fracturing a cheekbone against Hapoel Be’ersheva. Issouf Sissokho in the anchorman role was joined by Gabi Kanichowsky and Dor Peretz to form Maccabi’s midfield trio. Hisham Layous on the left wing and Osher Davida on the opposite left flank supplied the width to Maccabi’s formation. Dor Turgeman, back from injury against Sociedad as well, spearheaded the attack aiming to add to his tally of two league goals and six in all competitions this season.

On the bench alongside goalkeeper Simon Sluga, Lazetic named Stav Lemkin, Idan Nachmias, Eran Zahavi, Joris van Overeem, Weslley Patati, Elad Madmon, Ofir Davidzada and Ido Shahar.

On the bench alongside goalkeeper Simon Sluga, Lazetic named Stav Lemkin, Idan Nachmias, Eran Zahavi, Joris van Overeem, Weslley Patati, Elad Madmon, Ofir Davidzada and Ido Shahar.

First Half

A sea of color and a wall of noise welcomed both sets of players as Teddy stadium was almost packed to its’ capacity with Maccabi’s fans filling the entire 2900 allocation while Beitar brought another 25,000. Dor Peretz could have opened the score early on as he found himself unmarked at the far post. But Peretz’s close range header bounced on the ground and over the crossbar. Osher Davida and Hisham Layous caused Beitar’s defenders all sorts of problems down the wings, pinging their opposite numbers in the corners and preventing the hosts from developing their regular game. Dor Turgeman had a shot saved in the 16th minute before Peretz came even closer to score. Tyrese Asante released Peretz through before the midfielder lifted the ball over Miguel Silva. But defender Jean Marcelin arrived on time to clear the ball off his line and keep his goal locked. Maccabi continued to dominate keeping Beitar in their own half with Layous forcing a save from Silva as it seemed a goal was a matter of time.

In the 36th minute Maccabi were rewarded for their efforts after Peretz sent Davida charging down the wing with a perfectly timed pass. Davida raced towards the box and squared the ball into the path of Turgeman who with one touch flicked it home to break the deadlock and take his tally to 3 league goals.

A well drilled free kick on 43 almost saw Nemanja Stojic double Maccabi’s lead as he ghosted past Beitar’s defense. The Serbian central defender met Gabi Kanichowsky’s pinpoint cross but guided his header wide of the post.

On the stroke of halftime, an incident which began with a collision between Sagiv Jehezkel and Marcelin left the masked wing-back on the ground clutching his face. A scuffle between the two players saw Marcelin jump to his feet and headbutt Turgeman in the chest. The two Maccabi players were booked while referee Snir Levy needed the assistance of VAR to send Marcelin off during the interval.

Second half

Despite their numerical disadvantage Beitar leveled the score two minutes after the restart. Timothy Muzie picked the ball just inside Maccabi’s half and released a powerful right foot drive that rocketed into the top corner to make it 1-1. Right on the hour mark Peretz almost restored Maccabi’s lead as he met Davida’s cross with a volley that had more power than accuracy. A minute later Kanichowsky fired a shot that rolled wide as Maccabi pressed forward trying to restore the lead. Lazetic reacted with a double substitution as he replaced both wingers Madmon and Davida introducing Weslley Patati and Elad Madmon on 67. 

Kanichowsky had two shots in the space of three minutes with the first punched away by Silva before Beitar’s keeper collected the second which didn’t cause him too much trouble. In the 76th minute Lazetic introduced Eran Zahavi for Peretz as the veteran striker was sent to try win the match. But it was a Beitar substitute, Silva Kangai, who won Beitar a penalty seconds after his introduction as he was fouled by Raz Shlomo in the 80th minute. Yarden Shuah stepped-up and beat Mishpati with an accurate spot kick to give Beitar a 2-1 lead.

Ido Shahar replaced Asante on 85 as Lazetic made another change for the closing stages. But within seconds a lethal Beitar counter attack resulted with Kangai scoring another to seal Beitar’s victory at 3-1.