Maccabi ‘Shahar’ hosted FC Zurich on Tuesday in the second leg of their UEFA Youth League second-round tie. Following last week’s 1-1 draw in Switzerland, the young Yellow-and-Blue completed the job at the Alcufer Stadium in Győr, Hungary, overcoming a first-half red card to secure a dramatic victory on penalties.
Maccabi will discover their third-round opponents tomorrow, when Sheriff Tiraspol host Ferrol, who hold a 2-0 advantage from the first leg.
Head coach Dan Romann made several changes to his starting line-up, with Noam Levy returning to the heart of defence in place of Adam Rosenbaum, while Daniel Ben Shushan replaced Eran Ginat in midfield.
First Halfֿ
Maccabi created the first chance of the match in the second minute as Roy Gafni unleashed a powerful drive from outside the area, forcing the Zurich keeper into a save.
Four minutes later, Gafni’s corner found Ilay Ben Simon, whose effort was blocked by the Zurich defence.
In the 11th minute, Roni Hauzi tested Pintos with a powerful shot, but the Zurich keeper was equal to the task.
Four minutes later, Vidovic tried his luck at the opposite end but sent his shot wide of the target.
In the 25th minute, Gafni threatened once again with a dangerous effort on target, but Pintos was well positioned to make the save.
Five minutes later, Vidovic continued to pose a threat, forcing Idan Trau into an alert save.
Maccabi came close to breaking the deadlock in the 30th minute as Ido Yosef released Hauzi with a superb through ball. The forward raced through on goal but dragged his shot wide of the far post.
Maccabi were reduced to ten men in the 34th minute when, following a tussle involving both players, Levy pushed Lekaj, prompting the referee to show the Maccabi defender a straight red card.
Second Half
Zurich began the second half on the front foot as Vidovic tested Trau in the 46th minute, but the Maccabi keeper reacted well to deny him.
Four minutes later, Ben Simon came agonisingly close to giving Maccabi the lead as his thunderous free kick crashed against the crossbar and bounced out of play.
In the 63rd minute, Mahgar produced a fine individual run before unleashing a shot that narrowly missed the post.
Ten minutes later, Zurich came close to taking the lead when a corner fell to Kingsley, whose effort struck the post. Trau reacted quickly to gather the loose ball.
In the 77th minute, Yosef attempted an audacious effort from 30 metres, narrowly missing the target as the ball brushed the roof of the net.
The referee blew the final whistle three minutes into injury time with the score still goalless. With the tie level at 1-1 on aggregate and no extra time played, the contest went straight to a penalty shootout.
Penalty Shootout
Maccabi held their nerve to win the shootout 5-3, converting all five penalties to secure their place in the third round of the UEFA Youth League.
Maccabi’s penalty scorers: Eran Ginat, Sahar Lavi, Ido Yosef, Ilay Ben Simon and Roy Gafni.
Maccabi: Idan Trau, Leroy Abrevaya, Eden Hayat, Noam Levy, Sahar Lavi, Itay Mahgar (Eran Ginat 90′), Roy Gafni, Daniel Ben Shushan, Ido Yosef, Ilay Ben Simon and Roni Hauzi (Adam Rosenbaum 67′).
