Maccabi Tel Aviv landed back in Israel Thursday morning following their huge victory in Plzen and the players went straight home, exhausted but very excited. Even having not slept very much and having a lot of celebrations, Yuval Shpungin spoke to the official website on the team bus about the tremendous day the club had in Plzen, the opening of the season and his personal feelings about having grown up through Maccabi's youth system from when he was just a boy.

"We had such a happy evening and now we're pretty tired and worn out. We slept for only a bit on the plane, but I hope we have more more nights just like this one. We're so happy that we were able to give the fans plenty to celebrate. We could feel the supporters on the pitch with us in Plzen and they helped give us that extra push when we needed it."

Have you had a chance to revisit your assist to Eran Zahavi for the second goal?

"I haven't thought about the assist to Eran, but I can tell you that we discussed this exact situation the day before the game and I'm happy that everything worked out. My compliments to Eran, he's a tremendous scorer."

Did you understand that when you assisted on the goal it brought the club to Champions League playoff round?

 

"When the goal was scored I was just very happy that we actually scored but quickly I realized that we were one step closer to advancing. At that point we all just wanted to keep the score as is and finish off the match. These are the most critical moments of the match and I'm very happy that we were able to win 2:0 and not give up a late goal.

How much did the win last night bring the players even closer together as a tight knit group?

"We are already a very close group of guys. We have a terrific locker room, good people who care about each other and this is very important for the team to succeed. So when we do win it just brings us even closer together."

Three weeks ago the Maccabi players were under a lot of scrutiny after losing to Hibernians in Malta 2:1. Can you explain what happened the last few weeks?

"I don't want to even think about where we were three weeks ago. We were embarrassed, but that's football and things change very quickly. We grabbed the bull by the horns and we have to continue to do so going forward."

How does it feel to experience all of this, especially since you went through Maccabi's youth department?

"What's going on right now is very important for me because I grew up through the youth system and I'm so connected to the club. As a 6-7 year old you dream about these moments and I'm so happy that I came back to the club. Last year didn't exactly go as I had planned but I accepted it. We all have to continue down the path we are on and take another step forward."

The last time Maccabi was in the Champions League you weren't even on the first team yet. How much do you want to be able to play and feel the excitement of the Champions League?

"The last time Maccabi was in the Champions League I was in the stands at Ramat Gan Stadium. It's a dream for any footballer to have this opportunity, but right now we aren't going to deal with percentages if we will advance or not. We just have to continue working very, very hard.

Have you figured out whose goal you'll assist on next game?

"I just want to win, if I can assist on another goal it will just be a bonus for me."

 

In response to the draw which teamed Maccabi up with Swiss Champions FC Basel in the Playoff of the Champions League Group stage, captain Eran Zahavi told the club's official website: "It's a tough draw but I believe in our team and convinced that we can do it. In order to reach the Champions League Group Stages one has to overcome hurdles and to suffer in the process. I am waiting for the first match and certain that we will arrive with confidence and courage in order to qualify".

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Maccabi Tel Aviv drew Swiss champions Basel in the UEFA Champions League playoff round as Maccabi will play the first match of the two legged tie on Wednesday August 19th at Saint Jakob Park in Basel while the return leg will be played a week later on tuesday 25th at Sammy ofer Stadium

Head Coach Slavisa Jokanovic commented on the difficult draw, but knows that one must defeat the best European clubs to get to the Champions League group stages.

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"This is the 3rd time Maccabi Tel Aviv is drawn against FC Basel and so far we didn't manage to beat them on 4 occasions. However, this must never make us scared in anyway and despite the fact they were they toughest team we could have received, to reach the Champions League Group stage you must face top teams".

FC Basel's Coach Urs Fischer said after the draw: “With Maccabi Tel-Aviv we have to compete against a strong opponent, which FC Basel 1893 already knows. Except of one game the results were always very close. Therefore we need two very good performances of our team to achieve our goal and achieve the group stage”.

 

 

The Yellow-and-Blue will set out for Basel for first leg that will take place on Wednesday August 19th while the second leg will be played at Sammy Ofer Stadium on Tuesday August 25th. 

photos: FC BASEL Website and uefa.com

Yellow-and-Blue will set out for Baesl on the first leg that will take place on  Wednesday August 19th  while the second leg will be playedat home on Tuesday August 25th. 

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Basel: An old foe

If Maccabi draw the Swiss champions it will be the third time that the clubs will play each other over the past two years. Basel is without doubt the most difficult side that the Yellow-and-Blue could get as they were eliminated by the Swiss team in the third round of Champions League qualifying and also the Round of 32 in the Europa League back in 2013/14.

Basel has played in the Champions League group stages three out of the last five years and last season advanced to the Round of 16 with ex-Maccabi coach Paulo Sousa on the sidelines who just left the club for Fiorentina this past spring. The new coach is Urs Fischer who took over after guiding Thun between 2013/15.

The Switzerland Football league title holders defeated Lech Poznan from Poland on aggregate 4:1 over the the two legged tie.

 

 

photo: FC BASEL Website

Year Founded: 1893

Stadium: Saint Jakob Park (42,500 seats)

Manager: Urs Fischer

Champions League participation over the past 10 years: 2008/09, 2011/12 (Advanced to Round of 16), 2013/14, 2014/15 (Advanced to Round of 16)

About Basel: After a terrific year under former Maccabi coach Paulo Sousa, Basel advanced to the Round of 16 in the Champions League but has now undergone a roster overhaul for the 2015/16 year. Urs Fischer has taken over for Sousa and key players Derlis Gonzalez, Fabian Schar and Fabian Frei left the club while iconic captain Marco Streller has retired. However the Swiss champions are still loaded with local stars and have added Marc Janko, Zdravko Kuzmanović from Inter and Jean-Paul Boetius from Feyenoord.

When Paulo Sousa coached Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2013/14, the Yellow-and-Blue faced Basel from Switzerland in two different rounds for a total of 4 matches. In the summer of 2013, Maccabi was eliminated in the third round of the Champions League qualifying matches and in February 2014 they were upended by Basel yet again this time in the Europa League Round of 32.

 

After a loss it's sometimes difficult for both the players and the fans to get back to normal, so after a 2:0 win last night in Plzen and a trip to the Champions League playoffs we can all understand why the players are still enjoying this accomplishment. One of those players is veteran Gal Alberman who took control of the midfield for the Yellow-and-Blue and spoke about the big win

"We didn't feel very good about ourselves after the first leg at Bloomfield Stadium. We made a number of mistakes and we paid dearly for them, so we knew we all had to make a concerted effort to do what needed to be done. Once we put everything aside from the first game we were able to prepare properly for the return leg."

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Alberman also commented on the fans: "The supporters really rallied behind us. Our chances were slim to advance but the fans really deserve a ton of credit for making the long trip. They deserve to be excited about the win just like we are and we are very happy for them."

"I don't think it was just the veteran players who took on the responsibility for this game. We all came very prepared," Alberman said about the tactical game plan. "There were periods of time where we had trouble playing our game. You have to remember that Plzen are the champions of the Czech Republic and have a lot of experience and tactical discipline which gave us some problems for long periods of time. But during those crucial moments of the match we knew that we all had to give our maximum and take a few more risks. We deserved to score the goals we did because of our play during crunch time."

The midfielder also expressed his feelings about the penalty goal: "We knew we had momentum on our side even before the penalty. The goal gave us an even bigger boost and we could have even scored a third goal. Right after we scored that first goal we saw that Plzen began to falter under the pressure and get very nervous, which of course played right into our hands."

 

Maccabi Tel Aviv landed in Israel this morning after last night's 2:0 victory over Viktoria Plzen and advanced to the Champions League playoffs. The players found it hard to relax after celebrating the win

 

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"I don't want to start humming the Champions League tune yet. The supporters that came to see us play on Plzen believed that we could do it. We heard them more than the 11,000 Plzen fans. We're thrilled that we made them happy and also our fans around the globe."

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Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Viktoria Plzen 0:2 in the return leg of the UEFA Champions League third round qualifying matches as they advance to the Champions League Playoffs! The Yellow-and-Blue will play in Europe this year regardless of the results in the Playoff round as they automatically qualify for the Europa League group stages should they not advance

Eran Zahavi was the star of the show as he scored Maccabi's first goal on a penalty in the 76th minute as Plzen captain David Limbersky picked up the foul and yellow card that led to the penalty kick. Zahavi then scored again in the 83rd minute as Yuval Shpungin picked up the assist.

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With the score now 0:2 in favor of Maccabi, instead of defending they kept on applying offense as the best defense is often offense as Maccabi looked for a third goal. However it was Juan Pablo who made the game saver knocking the ball over the crossbar in the 90th minute to preserve the win.

Head Coach Slavisa Jokanovic began the match with a lineup of Juan Pablo in goal and a back four of Omri Ben Harush, Tal Ben Haim, Eitan Tibi and Yuval Shpungin. Manning the midfield was Gal Alberman, Nosa Igiebor and Avi Rikan while a trio of attackers including Tal Ben Chaim, Barak Itzahki and Eran Zahavi played up front. Most of the first half saw sides playing the proverbial game of chess as neither team wanted to make a mistake that would cost them a valuable goal.

 Viktoria Plzen had the first effort of the match as Ondrej Vanek's powerful shot was knocked away to safety by Juan Pablo in the 5th minute. Each side earned a few corner and free kicks while Eran Zahavi and the aforementioned Vanek each picked up a yellow card.

With 45 minutes to go in the match, Maccabi came out of the lockeroom with an air of confidence as coach Jokanovic kept his players focused on the task at hand. The Yellow-and-Blue made a number of substitutions in the 2nd half bringing on Nikola Mitrovic, Gili Vermouth and Dor Micha who gave new fresh breath of life into Maccabi as they prevailed on Zahavi's brace to head to the Champions League playoffs!

 

Maccabi Tel Aviv punched their ticket to the Champions League playoffs after coming away with a huge away result against Viktoria Plzen winning 2:0 on Eran Zahavi's brace. The captain said: "Our game plan worked to perfection."

What a night we had in the Czech Republic. Two goals in the closing minutes by Eran Zahavi overturned the first match result and sent Maccabi into the playoff round of the Champions League.

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The captain discussed the criticism that the team received by the press: "The criticism began when we didn't get the results we needed and now's the time for us to stick out our chests proudly. We beat a very good team that has some done terrific things in Europe over the past five years. I'm really happy for the fans that came to the match and supported us. I only heard our fans during the match and I'm sure there are tens of thousands at home in Israel and around the world who are very happy. We hope that we can continue to achieve our goals going forward."

 

The biggest winner of the evening was Eran Zahavi with his brace: "Anyone who didn't watch this match should. I'm thrilled that we played like men. We achieved what we set out to do and our dream is still in front of us. Our game plan worked perfectly and I'm happy that we made sure to follow it.  We now have to begin to prepare for our next target." 

Zahavi comments after now becoming Israel's leading European scorer: "I know what I achieved and my teammates helped me do it. Without them it wouldn't have happened. Now I want to continue to add to that record."

 

Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Slavisa Jokanovic addressed the press after his club's 0:2 victory over Viktoria Plzen

"Today was a very important day today. We defended very well and I knew we would have chances and we Scored the goal's so I'm very happy with the result. We played like big boys. We won and made this important step."

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 What did you tell the club at halftime?

 "I told them very clearly that we have to concentrate in the 2nd half and it's not important if we don't score right away and wait patiently for our chances. I'm very happy with the team's performance and that they followed the plan. Football is about happy and sad feelings. We won the Tel Aviv derby and here in Plzen this week. I must be happy, but we have a very important step ahead. We're dreaming about the Champions League and we will have very exciting games coming up."

How important was this win?

This is a very important step for us and it's normal that we should be happy. We have a great chance in front of us and we played like a team today and that's the best news for us.

What was your thinking behind the substitutions?

I made the substitutions bringing in Nikola Mitrovic in order to make a few more passes and we defended very well until we made the substitutions. We used the other subs to move forward and begin to advance.