With Maccabi's home play-off tie against Beitar Jerusalem just around the corner, it's time to look back at some of the most spectacular encounters between the two clubs in recent years. Part one of a series

Season 2012/13, Bloomfield Stadium, gameweek 26: Maccabi Tel Aviv- Beitar Jerusalem 5-0.

A little more than a week earlier, Maccabi were knocked out of the prestigious State Cup competition by Beitar in the last 16 stage, losing 0-2 at home. Now in the last gameweek before the start of the play-offs, emotions were running high ahead of this second encounter in just over ten days.

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

But straight from off, then head Maccabi head coach Oscar Garcia's eleven left in no doubt whatsoever that this encounter was going to be a different story altogether. With less than ten minutes on the matchclock, then recent arrival Eran Zahavi had the home crowd on their feet with his first league goal in Maccabi kit. In the second half Maccabi were in complete control and just ten minutes in the league's leading goalscorer, striker Eliran Atar, found a second recent arrival, Rade Prica, in the area and the Swedish striker scored Maccabi's second. Two minutes later Atar himself provided the home side's third, latching on to his own deflected effort and ramming it, along with himself, into the Beitar goal. The final moments of the match belonged to two other Maccabi stars, midfielder Mahran Radi and now Swiss side Grasshopper striker Moanes Dabbur, with the former assisting the latter for two quick goals that brought Maccabi's total on the night to five to earn the match a place in Maccabi's pantheon of great victories.

Maccabi would go on to win their first league championship after a frustrating decade of failing to hoist the Israeli Premier League trophy.  

 

Maccabi's Spanish keeper Juan Pablo is ready for tonight's home play-off tie against Beitar Jerusalem

All is ready for Maccabi Tel Aviv's 8.15pm kick-off at Bloomfield Stadium against Beitar Jerusalem. After having already played two league ties against the team from the nation's capital without registering a victory, head coach Pako Ayestaran's squad are hoping the home-field advantage will provide them with the edge in tonight's encounter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP-s0gZDpm8

Asked in an interview with the Maccabi website crew if he felt his team were going into the home straight of the 2014/15 season in their best form, Maccabi keeper Juan Pablo responded: "Always you can do better, but I think the way is good. We are in the first position, I think the team are doing the right things. We know that it's not finished, we have to play a few games more, but we are close to our target, as a team. And myself, as I told you, I think I can do better but I'm happy, and I am working to do my best, every game".

As for not having beaten Beitar in two disappointing league encounters so far this season, the Spaniard replied: "Yes, but every game is different and this is why we are working. And in football it's the truth – every game is different so now we have to play again and we'll see what happens. Always when we play at Bloomfield for us it's the best thing. We play in front of our fans, it's our stadium, it's our pitch. I think the grass is the best one, it helps us a lot. So I think it will be a difficult game of course but I think we have a chance to get the three points. I think we are right in a good performance, but not only now. During the season I think we did too, we were doing good things. It's true that our shape is good but as I told you before it's not finished, so we have to keep working to try to get all the points that we can. After that we'll see if we are close to our target. We'll see".

Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club look forward to the continued support of all our supporters, including at Sunday night's game against Beitar Jerusalem. The club in general, and the players in particular, are proud of Maccabi's record of condemning any forms of violence or racism, both in and outside the stadium. We feel confident that our most treasured fans unequivocally share those sentiments and will act in accordance with them.

With Maccabi's home play-off tie against Beitar Jerusalem just around the corner, it's time to look back at some of the most spectacular encounters between the two clubs in recent years. Part two of a series

Season 2002/03, gameweek 31: Beitar Jerusalem – Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-3

Having dropped two precious points the previous week with a goalless draw against Maccabi Petach Tikva, and with Maccabi Haifa snapping at their heels at the top of the Israeli Premier League, Maccabi Tel Aviv headed for the nation's capital to face Beitar Jerusalem at "Teddy" Stadium. Head coach Nir Klinger's squad were well aware that nothing short of victory would keep them at the top of the heap and hold them on course for the league title. So were the some 8,000 fans that crowded into "Teddy" to see if the aspiring champions were up to the job.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-zJe2Hm7Ms

The match opened with neither side holding the upper hand, but on 33 minutes Beitar were a goal to the good courtesy of defender David Amsalam. Maccabi's back line had hardly caught their breath when a minute later Andrzej Kobika found another hole in the visitors' defence and doubled the home-side advantage to 2-0. Just before the half, when victory looked further off than ever, Maccabi were gifted an own goal that brought them back into the match at 2-1.

After the break, an entirely different looking Maccabi side took to the pitch, with Maccabi's legendary goalscorer Avi Nimni leading the way. Just short of the hour mark he brought Maccabi level at 2-2 with a characteristic personal effort that ended in an unstoppable strike from the edge of the area. And eleven minutes later he completed his brace, pouncing on a fracas in front of the Beitar goal and poking the ball home to complete the turnaround and a 2-3 Maccabi victory that had the visiting fans already dreaming of the title trophy.

And indeed, at the end of one of the most exciting seasons in Israeli Premier league history, Maccabi Tel Aviv won the championship from Maccabi Haifa, on goal difference alone.

 

 

Today the Maccabi senior squad commemorated Holocaust remebrance Day. The Youth Division held an educational programme on the subject of the Holocaust

This morning, as sirens were heard throughout Israel, Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club observed two minutes of silence in commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day, in memory of the six million Jews who lost their lives at the hands of Nazi Germany before and during the Second World War. For the senior squad this occurred during a morning practice, as the players interrupted their training to stand in place and lower their heads out of respect for the victims.

As a part of their general educational programme, the professional staff of the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Division organised a special session on the subject of the Holocaust at their Kiryat Shalom facilities, during which a model was erected of the Lodz Ghetto, the second largest ghetto established for Jews in Poland during the war. All the players of the various Youth Division teams passed through the model and read information sheets prepared by the staff about the Lodz ghetto. The young players were reminded once again of the significance of Maccabi Tel Aviv's yellow-coloured kit, changed during the war from blue at the suggestion of then Maccabi player Yossef Merimovich in solidarity with European Jewry, who were forced by the Nazis to wear a yellow star on their clothing.

In addition, Maccabi's Under-15s, along with their head coach Erez Balfer, will take time out after their training session this evening to watch the Holocaust documentary film "Numbered", a reference to the numbers tattooed on the arms of residents of the Nazi concentration camps, followed by discussions on the significance of this most tragic episode in modern history.  

 

Ticket sales for the State Cup semi-finals are underway. Here below all the details:

On Wednesday April 29^th, four teams will line up at "Teddy" Stadium in the nation's capital Jerusalem to fight for their place in the finals of the prestigious Israeli State Cup competition. At 6pm second division side Hapoel Afula will face off against Premier League title chasers Hapoel Beer Sheva. And at 8.30pm our own beloved Maccabi Tel Aviv will meet the tournament's other minnow, second division club Maccabi Ahi Nazareth. But in Israel's State Cup competition there are no replays, so if the early kick-off goes into extra time, with or without a penalty shoot-out, Maccabi fans will simply have to wait until the deciding goal settles the earlier contest before seeing their team go into action.

Ticket sales for this exciting evening of football have already begun, starting today (Wednesday) at 5.30pm. Maccabi supporters will be seated in the Eastern and Northeastern terraces of "Teddy" Stadium (see yellow portions of stadium diagram). With the exception of the VIP seating (lower terraces gates 8,6 – see below), all seating is on a first come, first serve basis regardless of what is indicated on the ticket. Tickets for Maccabi supporters only are available at the official Maccabi merchandise shop at 147 Dizengoff St. in Tel Aviv. Tickets can also be purchased online, by telephone (*8780) and at the nearby offices of the "Leaan" ticket agency at 101 Dizengoff St. To order your tickets online, click here.

Ticket prices

Eastern terraces, entrances 18-21

At the Maccabi shop and "Leaan" ticket office:

Adults – NIS 99

Soldiers, students, children to age 18 – NIS 49.50

Online or by telephone:

Adults – NIS 104

Soldiers, students, children to age 18 – NIS 54.50

On matchday at the "Teddy" Stadium ticket offices (if still available):

Adults – NIS 90

Soldiers, students, children to age 18 – NIS 45

Northeastern terraces

At the Maccabi shop and "Leaan" ticket office:

Adults – NIS 88

Soldiers, students, children to age 18 – NIS 44

Online or by telephone:

Adults – NIS 103

Soldiers, students, children to age 18 – NIS 49

On matchday at the "Teddy" Stadium ticket offices (if still available):

Adults – NIS 90

Soldiers, students, children to age 18 – NIS 45

VIP seating, lower terraces gates 8,6

NIS 220

Please bear the following in mind:

–     Management and ticket prices for the State Cup semi-finals are under the responsibility of the Israeli           Football Association

–      The "print at home" ticket option will not be available for this match. Tickets ordered online or by                     telephone must be collected at the "Leaan" ticket agency or the "Teddy" Stadium ticket offices. Further         details to follow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a long convalescence following his serious knee injury, Barak Itzhaki opened up his heart in a special interview: "We're the best team in the league and that has its obligations"

It hasn't been an easy year, to say the least, for Maccabi Tel Aviv's veteran striker Barak Itzhaki. After returning to the squad at the start of the 2013/14 season following a loan spell at Cypriot side Anorthosis Famagusta, he became one of Maccabi's key players in both the team's domestic and European campaigns, until suffering a cruciate ligament injury in his knee during a warm-up for the team's final round of 32 Europa League tie against Swiss champions FC Basel. It has taken the talented front man almost a year to return to match fitness and now, in a special interview filmed by Adidas Studios, he talks about that painful moment ("I knew it right away, I went straight to the doctor and I said 'Udi, no need to look, I've torn a ligament'), about the tremendous support he's received ("Since that moment the telephone hasn't stopped ringing. I'll show my gratitude to the fans on the pitch") and about realising the dream ("Playing in the Champions League, at least once before I hang up the boots").

Watch the full interview below (in Hebrew):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfvOr6gWOAc

 

This coming week the opening hours of the official Maccabi Tel Aviv merchandise shop at 147 Dizengoff St. and at the Kiryat Shalom training ground will be different than usual. Here follows a list of the days and the hours each of the two shops will be open

At the Dizengoff shop:

Wednesday April 15^th – Holocaust Day eve, the shop will close at 6pm

Thursday April 16^th – Holocaust Day, regular opening hours

Tuesday April 21^st – Memorial Day eve, the shop will close at 6pm

Wednesday April 22^nd – Memorial Day, the shop will close at 6pm

Thursday April 23^rd – Independence Day, the shop will be closed

 

At Kiryat Shalom:

Wednesday April 15^th – Holocaust Day eve, the shop will be closed

Wednesday April 22^nd – Memorial Day, the shop will be closed

 

At the online store we are still delighted to offer you the widest possible array of official Maccabi Tel Aviv merchandise and an ongoing 20% discount on the official Maccabi Tel Aviv team shirt