The Maccabi Tel Aviv players couldn't stop celebrating their big 2:0 win over Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic that sends them to the Champions League playoffs.

As the final whistle blew Maccabi couldn't contain their excitement following heir 2:0 win that sends them to the Champions League Playoffs. 

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Maccabi defender Omri Ben Harush said: "Congratulations to everyone. We came into this match prepared and we came away with the result we needed. We believed in ourselves. It was a rough road after the first leg result and put us under pressure. But as everyone saw in the second half we pulled it together and we did what we know best. This was one of the greatest night's in my career."

Yuval Shpungin also commented on the victory: "The plan was to get to the 65th minute and not give up a goal. After that we needed to pressure Plzen and score the first goal and I'm happy that everything went according to plan. Most importantly our job was to do things our way and that's how we came away with the result."

Eitan Tibi couldn't contain his excitement and said: "There's nothing sweeter than this. Everyone had buried us already. I don't think anyone is happier than me that I could add to our great play tonight. We can continue to dream about the Champions League. We worked hard all year to get to this point and that's been our goal from the beginning. I hope we can continue to succeed. It's very important not to give up any goals in these situations and we stayed in the match because we didn't. I only heard the Maccabi fans in the packed stadium tonight."

Winger Tal Ben Chaim celebrated his birthday today and didn't forget to thank his captain for the gift that his teammates gave him.

Tal Ben Chaim celebrated his birthday this afternoon knowing that should Maccabi win this evening there would be a bigger celebration. The Yellow-and-Blue defeated Plzen 2:0 and advanced to the Champions League playoffs and the winger knew who to thank. 

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Ben Chaim commented on the confidence the players had this past week: "We really believed in ourselves and the coach said to us all week long to make sure to keep a clean sheet into the latter stages of the match. The coach's game plan worked marvelously. Every player that came here believed that we could advance and this is the best feeling in the whole world."

Of course Ben Chaim didn't forget to talk about the fans: "There were 11,000 Plzen fans here tonight but we didn't even know they were here. We only heard our supporters."

Maccabi Tel Aviv landed in Prague this afternoon feeling good about the return leg against Viktoria Plzen. The players were greeted at the airport and at their hotel in Plzen by many Czech Republic Maccabi supporters who took pictures and got autographs from the players. Check out the video

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Tonight at 21:45 Israel time, Maccabi Tel Aviv will play their return leg against Viktoria Plzen in the third round of UEFA Champions League qualifying. But before the match the club wants to celebrate two birthdays. Gili Vermouth turns 30 years old and winger Tal Ben Chaim celebrates his 26th birthday

At the end of last night's final practice both players spoke to he official website about the importance of the upcoming game.

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"We have to play smart football," Vermouth said. "We have a result that we must achieve and first off we can't let in any goals. Other than that the coach has prepared us technically for the match." 

Vermouth also talked about the home support that Plzen will receive at the Doosan Arena. "I'm optimistic. We are as good as Plzen is and if we can make sure we capitalize on our chances in the first half Plzen will be under pressure. Again I'm very optimistic."

Tal Ben Chaim who is celebrating his 26th birthday also knows what need to be done in the match. "I hope we can score a quick goal and then try to get the result that we need. Even if we don't score early we have to play well on the pitch and not give up any goals. I'm hopeful that we can advance to the next round." 

Ben Chaim also talked about the difficult challenge that the players have in front of them. "Playing in the Champions League qualifiers is something we worked on all year long. It wasn't easy to win the league championship and it's not every day that we have a chance to make it to the Champions League group stages. This the the goal of all of the players and as a team we want to achieve this. Last week's match was not easy but I think we have a chance to advance today."

Gal Alberman is opening up his 6th year with Maccabi Tel Aviv and the midfielder is a leader on the pitch for the Yellow-and-Blue who's ready for the return leg against Viktoria Plzen. But before the match we followed him closely look in the first match between the two clubs. Watch number 6 up close and personal

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Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Slavisa Jokanovic and captain Eran Zahavi spoke to the press prior to their final practice before their UEFA Champions League third round qualifying return leg match against Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic tomorrow night at 21:45 Israel Time.

How is the mood within the squad after the match against Hapoel and Plzen last week?

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ERAN ZAHAVI: We feel great and we're optimistic. We will enjoy the football and we want to win.

SLAVISA JOKANOVIC: I feel good, but the question is how we will feel after the game. At home we didn't do a good job but we have a chance to change that now for the 2nd half and everything is still open. And Plzen did a great job in Tel Aviv. But we will try 100% to advance. 

What did you change from the last match?

JOKANOVIC: We didn't play a bad game in Tel Aviv. There were a few moments when we didn't concentrate and we missed some details. In Europe clubs like Plzen punished us for our mistakes. We have to play with confidence and not make those types of mistakes again. We made changes and we will not give them as many chances as we did last game.

The weather is hot right now in Plzen. Is this an advantage for you coming from Tel Aviv?

JOKANOVIC: The temperatures are about the same but I don't think that there is any advantage as we will play 11 vs 11 and we will show our best on the pitch. 

During the first match the Plzen players were ready for you Eran Zahavi and you had problems creating chances. What have you done to change this?

 ZAHAVI: I created some chances for the other players and we had our chance to score but we just didn't do it. The target for Plzen is to stop the whole Maccabi team and I hope that we will succeed with our chances tomorrow and come home happy. 

This morning Maccabi Tel Aviv departed for the Czech Republic for the return leg of the UEFA Champions League third round qualifying matches against Viktoria Plzen

Following the Derby victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Toto Cup this past Saturday night and being 2:1 down from the first leg in the Champions League third round qualifying, Maccabi departed for the Czech Republic for the return leg against Viktoria Plzen.

"We learnt a number of things from the first game including their strengths and weaknesses," said midfielder Dor Peretz. "Tomorrow you'll see that we worked very hard on a bunch of those items."

Peretz also commented on the atmosphere that they are expecting at the stadium: "It will be great that the stadium will be packed with a good crowd with excitement in the air because the fans may think that they have already advanced to the next round. That's what they may feel but we're coming to play hard on Wednesday and we shall see what the bottom line will be."

The club will land in Prague during the afternoon hours and from there will head to Plzen. This evening there will be a press conference prior to the final practice.

The return leg will take place tomorrow, Wednesday night at 21:45 Israel time as Maccabi will attempt to turn around the score and advance to the playoff round of the Champions League.

Viktoria Plzen won the first leg of the two legged tie against Maccabi Tel Aviv in UEFA Champions League third round qualifying 1:2 last week. However, Plzen captain David Limbersky who spoke exclusively to the Official Maccabi Website knows that this second match will be very hard

The first half of the two-legged tie has been played, how would you sum up the first 90 minutes?

It was a tough match and Maccabi confirmed what we already knew. They are a physically well-equipped team with a good offense. The weather in Tel Aviv was not ideal for us but I'm glad we managed to win. We know we are at halftime – the second match will be very hard.

What did you learn about Maccabi Tel Aviv that you didn't know about beforehand? 

They have fantastic fans. That's what nobody can be prepared for. What we learned from the match I'd rather keep to myself.

You left Tel Aviv with a good away result, how important was that for your team and could you become complacent?

Naturally, victory is extremely important at this stage, particularly on the opponent's pitch. For the match in Plzen I can promise you that the whole team will go at full speed – the same like we did in Tel Aviv. I believe it will be a great match.

What type of match do you think we will see on Wednesday and what do you think your chances are to advance to the next round?

Maccabi has to score at least two goals. We also want to play offensively because it is our football philosophy. I believe it will be a great game for all of the spectators.

What type of atmosphere should Maccabi expect at the Doosan Arena?

Our fans are steadfast and support us from the first minute to the last, win or lose. Surely we can expect a real football atmosphere.

Maccabi landed in Prague this afternoon but before heading to Plzen many locals came out to the airport to greet the players and management. Tonight: Press conference and final practice

Maccabi Tel Aviv arrived in Plzen after landing earlier today in the Czech Republic. The club is now on their way to the Doosan Arena where a press conference and final practice will take place. You can get all the updates right here on the official Maccabi website throughout the club's stay in Plzen prior to their match tomorrow night at 21:45 Israel time.

After landing at the Czech Republic International Airport in Prague the players were greeted by many local fans looking to get autographs and pictures with the Maccabi players and management including Head Coach Slavisa Jokanovic and Sporting Director Jordi Cruyff. The club then enjoyed the magnificent view on their way to the city of Plzen.