Maccabi Tel Aviv played their first derby of the season against Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Toto Cup competition and took it to their rivals defeating the Reds 1:3 at Bloomfield Stadium

Three unanswered goals in the second half by Maccabi who was the away team, will give them the confidence they need as they head to Plzen for the second-leg of the UEFA Champions League third round qualifying match in the Czech Republic on Wednesday night.

The Yellow-and-Blue controlled the flow and tempo for much of the first half keeping possession of the ball for large amounts of time but couldn't find the back of the Hapoel goal. Eden Ben Basat, Avi Rikan and Dor Peretz all had chances before Claudiu Bumba gave Maccabi a scare with a blistering shot that went over Juan Pablo's goal. Maccabi's midfielder Gili Vermouth who was playing his first match against his former club showed terrific ball movement throughout the scoreless first 45 minutes of play as he was booed by the Hapoel faithful each time he touched the ball.

However a flurry of second half goals by the Yellow-and-Blue put away Hapoel. The Reds opened the scoring in the 49th minute with a goal by Eyad Abu Abaid who found a way to put the ball into the back of the Maccabi goal off a scrum in the box to give the home side a short lived 1:0 lead. This forced Maccabi coach Slavisa Jokanovic to make a number of substitutions, bringing in Eran Zahavi, Omri Ben Harush and Nosa Igiebor who joined Tal Ben Chaim who came on at the start of the half.

First it was Igiebor who beat Reds 'keeper Ariel Harush off a beauty of a pass by Zahavi in the 67th minute. Then it was Eran Zahavi's turn just four minutes later as he put the ball in the goal off a Ben Harush helper and Tal Ben Chaim sealed the deal with a scorcher of a shot from 17 meters out to make the score line 1:3 as the fans celebrated the victory.

Prior to the Tel Aviv Derby with Maccabi Tel Aviv visiting Hapoel Tel Aviv, Eden Ben Basat spoke about the importance of the match and how it will help the club before their next Champions League qualifying match against Viktoria Plzen.

"We all know how important the Derby is in Tel Aviv. This is really big for the supporters and the club and it doesn't matter if it's in the Toto Cup or the League. Every Derby is important to all of the players and of course we all want to win!

Any type of match before heading to Plzen will be good for our preparation but we will have to get ready for the match against Hapoel also. They may have a brand new team and time will tell how they will play together but what concerns us the most is what happens at Maccabi Tel Aviv, that is what's most important."

The striker also addressed how the club works together, "We have some very good players here and we play together as one unit whether it's the 'keeper, the midfielders, offense and defense. We don't break down into who does what job. We're a very strong team and we play as a team."

It's been exactly two months since Maccabi Tel Aviv played their final match of last season and lifted the Championship Plate for the third straight time. Here we are again about to begin the new year on Saturday, 21:00 at Bloomfield Stadium in the first round of the Toto Cup competition which will also be the first derby of the year. Just before the match gets underway here's a look back of how the Yellow-and-Blue won their first of three titles in the Treble Season. Sit back and enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X6vSJm-RKs

For mobile, Click here

 

In honor of Tu B'Av Hila Madar revealed "Her Love at First Sight"

 "If you're not part of this, you'll never understand"

I'll never forget the day when Hapoel Haifa won the championship against Maccabi Tel Aviv at Kiryat Eliezer Stadium. I was only a 9-year old who loved the "Backstreet Boys" and "Hi-Five" but as I sat on my living room couch twitching around all I could see was the Yellow-and-Blue players who were running around the pitch. It was like magic…

My father saw that I was glued to the TV screen and simply asked: "Football?" That's when my obsession with the Maccabi began.

During summer vacation I remember getting up early in the morning so I could snatch the sports section before my older brother did, in order to see if Maccabi picked up a new player. Then I constantly nagged my parents for Maccabi ztuff until they finally bought me Maccabi bed sheets, a jersey and scarf.

But my obsession didn't stop there, it only got worse. I wore a Maccabi bracelet and chain, plus I had flags, hats and anything else that was yellow. I dedicated my life to Maccabi, my heart and soul and it continues to this day.

My infatuation with Maccabi hit its peak when my father (who's not a Maccabi fan) agreed to take me to the Israel State Cup semi-final against Hapoel when I was 12-years old. He had to pick me up so I could see because everyone was standing on their feet at Ramat Gan Stadium.

Maccabi for 16 years you've been my Valentine's Day date.

16 years and my love affair with you will never go away.

The White Night (Layla Lavan) is coming to Cinema City Rishon Le'Zion this week and Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters will have the chance to enjoy something really amazing! On Thursday night July 30th every supporter that purchases a brand new Official 2015/16 jersey between the hours of 22:00-05:00 can take part in the "Maccabi Surprise Box" contest!

Throughout the night a see-through box full of Maccabi Tel Aviv, Nivea and Moses products and merchandise will be in the store. Every supporter that purchases a brand new Official 2015/16 jersey during the White Night between the hours of 22:00-05:00 can guess how many products are inside the box! The supporter who guesses the exact amount of products wins the whole lot! The entire "Maccabi Surprise Box"!

If you want to know how valuable the "Maccabi Surprise Box" is we can tell you that there are super products from our sponsors Nivea and Moses along with Maccabi jerseys, shorts, hats, balls and many, many other items that can all be yours! So don't forget to sleep well the day before and we'll see you at the Official Team Store in Cinema City Rishon Le'Zion on the White Night!

Toto Cup Derby? If you ask the fans a derby is a derby. Just to get you ready for the first match of the year against Hapoel Tel Aviv at 21:00, here's some hilights from Toto Cup derbies of the past. Of course the stadium will be packed. Check out the video 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4SwE-3jPD0

For mobile, Click here

 

 

Maccabi's new recruit Avi Rikan is getting ready for his first derby which will take place in the Toto Cup competition this Saturday night at 21:00. The Yellow-and-Blue are getting ready. Jokanovic: "We're learning everything about Hapoel and the changes they made during the offseason." 

Avi Rikan: "Our fans have expectations and we're here to get them the result they want. The match on Saturday night is a totally different story and we understand its importance to the supporters. We want to win and we'll give our maximum."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoHPxE1viJw

For mobile, Click here

Maccabi Tel Aviv is already looking forward to next week's return leg in UEFA Champions League third round qualifying action against Viktoria Plzen in the Czech Republic. Yellow-and-Blue midfielder Gili Vermouth spoke exclusively to the club's Official Website after last night's match, thanked the fans and was optimistic going into the second game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qekuk6VJ1ck

For mobile, Click here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r89obFBD72E

 "To lose at home 1:2 is not a good result, but we saw that our opponent Viktoria Plzen is a quality side and the match was a tough one as will next week's game be in Plzen. Everything is still wide open.

Sometimes results don't show you the full picture. They did their work early on in the first half and then went back and defended. In the second half we came back but we will have to go to Plzen and win, we have no choice.

 I want to thank the supporters who were terrific today and I hope that they continue the same way going forward.

 We have another 90 minutes and another game to play. We will have to pressure them and take a lead as everything is still open but our chances have been minimized a bit. We all believe in ourselves to go there and do what we need to do."

 

This season the Super Cup will feature Treble winners Maccabi Tel Aviv against Kiryat Shemona, the team who finished in second place on August 15th, 20:50 at the Netanya Stadium. Maccabi supporters will sit in the lower east stand in sections 20-25.

Tickets may be purchased at the three Official Maccabi Tel Aviv Team Stores, 147 Dizengoff Street in Tel Aviv, Cinema City Rishon Le'Zion and at the Kiryat Shalom training facility store. Tickets are also available on the Leaan website, by telephone *8780 or at the Leaan Ticket Office, 101 Dizengoff Street, Tel Aviv.

Ticket Prices

Price via telephone/Internet: 55₪

Price at the Maccabi Tel Aviv Team Stores or the Leaan Ticket Office: 50₪

Price on Matchday at the Stadium (should tickets still be available): 50₪

Click here to buy online

Stadium ticket windows open 3 hours prior to kickoff

Print at home

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Team Store locations and hours:

147 Dizengoff Street, Tel Aviv: Sunday-Thursday 10:00-20:00, Friday 09:30-15:00

Cinema City Rishon Le'Zion: Sunday-Wednesday 10:00-23:00, Thursday 10:00-00:00, Friday 10:00-01:00, Saturday 10:00-00:00

Kiryat Shalom Training Facility, Tel Aviv: Sunday-Thursday 10:00-20:00, Friday 10:00-15:00

Leaan Ticket Office, 101 Dizengoff Street, Tel Aviv: Sunday-Thursday 09:00-19:00, Friday 09:00-13:00

Ticket collection

Leaan Ticket Office 101 Dizengoff Street, Tel Aviv: Sunday-Thursday 09:00-19:00, Friday 09:00-13:0

On Matchday at the Stadium ticket windows: 15:00

The stadium ticket window will close 45 minutes after kickoff