Maccabi Tel Aviv central defender Tal Ben Haim is playing for the first time in the Champions League Group Stages. After the loss to Porto on Matchday Three, he sums up the campaign so far:

“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. Today we played some quality football in the first half and had a bunch of opportunities close to their goal. Unfortunately we didn’t score but in general if we were disappointed in our play away at Porto then we have seen some improvement.”

On the mood after the match

“We were upset with the result in the lockerroom, and we did have a good first thirty minutes but the goal changed up our plan a bit and when you play at this level mistakes will happen.”

Looking ahead:

“We come to play every game and again we had some good chances and sometimes you need a bit of luck that we didn’t have today. I hope that in the next match we will be able to take some points. If you don’t win then we all have room to improve and if we want to get some good results then everyone one of us has to give a bit more and more than the Israeli League which is good but nowhere near the Champions League.”

 The Yellow-and-Blue had numerous opportunities with a late Zahavi free kick just being knocked away by Porto ‘keeper Casillas to preserve a 2:0 win by the hosts.

Head Coach Slavisa Jokanovic went with Predrag Rajkovic in goal and started Tal Ben Haim and Carlos Garcia as the central defenders while Omri Ben Harush was the left back and Eitan Tibi was on the right. Gal Alberman was flanked by Dor Peretz and Nikola Mitrovic in the midfield with a trio of Tal Ben Chaim, Dor Micha and Eran Zahavi up front for the Israeli champions.

Maccabi wearing their classic yellow-and-blue strip opened up strong and stood toe-toe-tow with the Portuguese giants wearing their traditional blue-and-white kit. Vincent Aboubakar was very active for Porto and had his first attempt on goal in the 12th minute which was saved by Rajkovic to keep the score deadlocked at 0:0. With an air of confidence, Maccabi continued to attack with a few chances by Zahavi and Peretz. However, it was Ben Chaim who had a magnificent opportunity when he was able to dribble right into the box and the ball was stated away sending him to the ground as the over 1500 Yellow-and-Blue fans whistled for a penalty that was not called by the referee.

In the 37th minute a Porto free kick resulted in the first goal of the game as Aboubakar headed the ball behind Rajkovic from a Miguel Layun free kick to make it 1:0. Just four minutes later the home side doubled the score with Yacine Brahimi scoring on a counter attack to give Porto a 2:0 lead as the teams headed into halftime.

Ten minutes into the second half Porto made a double substitution while Jokanovic replaced Mitrovic with Avi Rikan in the 56th minute to help jump start the Maccabi offense with his terrific 65th minute chance just sailing over the crossbar. Gili Vermouth was introduced in the 73rd minute to help the Yellow-and-Blue search for their first goal of the match with Barak Itzhaki joining him on the pitch 10 minutes later.

Captain Eran Zahavi would have a marvelous free kick just minutes later as Porto’s star ‘keeper Iker Casillas dove to his left and just got a hand on the ball to keep the score 2:0 in favor of Porto. Maccabi will host Porto at Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa on Champions League Matchday Four at on Wednesday November 4th.

Maccabi Tel Aviv youngster Dor Peretz has been improving game by game with the first team as the midfielder has continued to earn a consistent spot in starting XI under Head Coach Slavisa Jokanovic.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a Champions League, Israeli League or National Team match anytime you lose its disappointing. We played well as a team and we had a number of chances.”

About the match against Porto:

“On one hand we can be proud of how we played but on the other hand it’s still upsetting when you don’t get a positive result. We can take the fact that we had a good number of opportunities and we were able to play well against Porto for long periods of the game and hopefully we will be able to get some good results in the upcoming matches.”

On the upcoming matches:

“We will have to wait to see the next match as to how we play but I do see that we are playing better and I hope we continue that way.”

Eitan Tibi, a veteran Maccabi Tel Aviv central defender moved over to play right back tonight against Porto on Matchday Three of the Champions League. Number 18 spoke about the match and the his “new” position:

“We played better than the last two games but unfortunately we’re very disappointed because we wanted a better result and I feel that we played well enough but it didn’t work out this evening and we also couldn’t find a way to score. I believe that as we continue to play better the goals will come and we have improved over the last two Champions League matches.”

On the chances that Porto had:

“Big clubs will always find chances as did Porto tonight and they scored. But we had some solid opportunities to score but just didn’t do it. Unfortunately when you make a mistake these types of clubs will make you pay.”

How was playing at right back:

“I did what I needed to in order to prepare to play right back. It’s not my regular position but I’ll do anything to hell the team succeed. I think I played ok this match.”

About Porto and the team’s preparations:

“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy and I’m happy that we keep playing better in the competition. Over the next few games I hope we will see the results.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv lost to Porto at the Dragao Stadium on Matchday Three of the UEFA Champions League. Head Coach Slavisa Jokanovic discussed how the team played and the opponent that the Yellow-and-Blue just faced:

“We can’t be happy if we don’t win. We played better than the last two matches but it wasn’t enough. The club played a very organized game and didn’t give our opponent many chances. During parts of the match we were stronger and more dangerous, but we paid a heavy price for our mistakes. The team did follow the game plan and showed that on the pitch.”

On Eran Zahavi’s form:

“I’m the coach of a whole team and not just a single player. My team did good work and Eran is our best player who gave a lot to this club over the past few months. As part of the team he did a ton of good things and followed the game plan. In general we can be happy with the fact that we are playing better each game. No one expects him to keep scoring at the rate he did before.”

For us Maccabists the color yellow gets us psyched up. Not just in a Derby match but also against Raanana, not just in Teddy, Turner and Sammy Ofer but also Petach Tikva. It just has to be yellow and we feel that excitement. “All for Maccabi, you’ll never walk alone.”

This year when Maccabi advanced to the Champions League group stages the dream is coming through right before our very eyes. (Even though we still haven’t seen them score yet) Nevertheless this is a huge celebration. It’s not just that were hoping to get something out of the Porto match and it’s not that were just waiting to host Chelsea in Israel but the fact that we have made it to this stage of the Champions League is a massive achievement.

From my many years of supporting Maccabi back to the days of Sheya Glazer and Giora Spiegel along with Avi Nimni and other great players. But afterwards there was a natural regression of the club where once in awhile we would win a Cup or Championship, but these were rare occasions and opportunities where we were more lucky than actually playing top level football.

Over the past few years Maccabi began taking club professionalism more seriously. Goldhar and Cruyff are not just looking for a quick fix here or there but they are planning for the long term, always looking upwards.

This week we’re in Portugal but this is also the fourth year in a row that we are at the top of the table and this is the bread and butter of the Israeli league and especially Maccabi. So there’s always a chance that we will be at the top of the Israeli league but also at the heights of European football.

This is what we want. This is what we love. Just like we sing every week to the starting XI: “This is a love affair that will never end.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv heads to Porto for Match Day Three and The Sports Rabbi, Josh Halickman had the opportunity to speak to a few local journalists to learn about the Yellow-and-Blue’s Portuguese opponent.

Porto won the UEFA Champions League under current Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho back in 2004 along with a European Cup in 1987 and have consistently featured in the tournament year in and year out. This year’s edition has seen some drastic changes over last year Vasco Mota Pereira a freelance Portuguese football journalist says: “Many key players left this past summer, leaving gaping holes behind them. For now, it’s a bit hard to tell who the key players will be, but 18-year-old midfielder Ruben Neves and midfielder André André, who’s been absolutely on fire over the past few matches, combining good game reading, intense, purposeful running with an indomitable spirit will be very important to the club.”

Tom Kundert World Soccer Magazine Portugal Correspondent and creator of PortuGOAL.net agreed: “They are strongest in midfield, where Rúben Neves, has been outstanding with superb anticipation, decision-making, passing and ability to dictate the pace of games and has even worn the captain’s armband. His midfield partner André André has also been hugely impressive, earning a place in the starting line-up despite fierce competition.”

Both also added that Algerian winger Yacine Brahimi could be important, however, Simon Curtis Talksport Portuguese football expert explained: “Porto’s spine is strong, from the hugely experienced Iker Casillas in goal, through a tough centre back partnership of Marcano and Maicon, the latter of whom is now injured and set to be replaced by the slightly less reliable Martins-Indi.”

Curtis continued discussing the expectations for the coach and club this year: “Domestically, this side must win the league this season, otherwise coach Julen Lopetegui will be out of a job. They had the strongest squad last year and finished second and they have the strongest squad this year and must finish first.” Porto haven’t won their league title the last two seasons said Pereira: “The club is always expected to win the domestic league and it’s quite hard for any coach who doesn’t to remain at the helm. As for the Champions League, they are expected to at least progress from the group stage and take things as they go from there, knowing full well that it’s very hard to compete against Europe’s big sharks.”

Porto boss Lopetegui, a Spanish coach has changed up the club’s style of play says Kundert: “He has brought about a big change in Porto’s general philosophy, turning what has traditionally been a fast attacking and often counter-attacking team, into a side that plays more of a ball possession-based game. They can be quite predictable to watch at times, but the approach has proved excellent in Europe. Lopetegui has lost only 1 of 14 Champions League matches as Boss.”

Pereira concurred: “While FC Porto are not exactly what you’d call tiki-taka, there are some basic tenets that Lopetegui keeps from the Spanish school of thought. The team likes to keep the ball and immediately press high up when they lose it. Under Lopetegui, the style of play is rather predictable: the ball gets shuffled from side to side with the centre being hardly ever used on the last third of the pitch until wingers – or full-backs – have enough time and space to do their thing and create danger.”

There may also be a way to keep the side frustrated and contained Pereira concludes: “Any team that show Porto the centre and double up on the wings should go a long way to stifle the threat. Defensively, they can become extremely vulnerable when their opponents manage to bypass the aforementioned first phase of pressing.”

Porto of course will prepare for the Yellow-and-Blue’s visit to the Estadio Dragao says Curtis: “They will have done their homework. No opponent needs to be a surprise these days with the people and tools available.” Pereira went a step further: “The club have certainly done their scouting and doesn’t usually make the mistake of taking things for granted.” Kundert chimed in with this gem: “They will recognize Maccabi, especially because of Paulo Sousa’s recent success with the club.”

Of course Maccabi will have a number of traveling fans in Porto and all three of the journalists say that they will very much enjoy themselves, Pereira explains: “Porto supporters are known to be some of the country’s most passionate, devoted to the team, to the cause and to the city.” Kundert also commented on the Porto supporters: “If things start going badly for the home side at the Estádio do Dragão then they are not afraid of voicing their disapproval. But given that Porto have a formidable home record, they are almost always in good voice.”

Curtis also was passionate about the atmosphere: “The main supporters group, the Superdragões are colourful, noisy and supportive, Champions League occasions bring out the best in them.”

Can Maccabi come away with a shock result? Pereira certainly thinks so: “The stadium can also go quiet for significant amounts of time in smaller matches and that might come in handy for the Israeli team, since those fickle supporters can quickly turn on the team and start booing and jeering if the result or the display don’t go their way.” Curtis agrees with this possibility: “If there are no goals by half time this may give Maccabi a glimmer of hope if the team and the fans ease off at the same time.”