After winning their two previous State Cup matches, the Under-19 team was drawn against Hapoel Haifa in the Israel State Cup Quarterfinals in a contest held at Kiryat Haim, home of the Northern Reds. The Yellow-and-Blue looked to avenge two defeats to Haifa and continue on in the competition.

Following a 4:1 victory at Wassermil Stadium against Hapoel Beer Sheva, Head Coach Ziv Arie made only one change to his starting XI with Noam Cohen replacing Amit Rosenboim who was off on Army duty.

The match opened up in very cautious fashion by both sides as Oliel Peretz picked up a yellow card early on. Following a number of quality corner kicks by the young Yellow-and-Blue, Haifa was off to the races as Derrick Bonnah made his way towards the Maccabi “Shachar” goal and keeper Hen Ozeri, beating the shot stopper to give the home side a 1:0 lead.

The Under-19 team didn’t let the deficit get them down and applied pressure to find the equalizer, but Peretz’s chance went right to the Red’s keeper as they took their slim advantage into the break.

Head Coach Arie made one substitution to begin the second half as Tomer Altman was introduced in place of Noam Cohen as Maccabi moved to a formation sporting three central defenders. Unfortunately, the second half began just as the first did with the Yellow-and-Blue giving up another goal to go down by two. Maxim Falchenko’s free kick from 20 meters again beat Ozeri as the Reds increased their lead to 2:0.

Arie brought on Omri Haramati who had a number of chances but couldn’t find the back of the goal while a Gaby Kanichowsky short range effort was stopped cold by the Haifa keeper. To add insult to injury, five minutes from time, a counter attack by the Reds led to their third and final goal of the match when Ener Shecter beat Ozeri to finish the match off 3:0 and bounce Maccabi “Shachar” from the tourney.

The Yellow-and-Blue Under-19 team will kick off against Hapoel Haifa on Wednesday in State Cup quarterfinal action. The match will take place at Kiryat Haim and Maccabi will look to pick up an important win having already suffered two defeats at the hands of the Northern Reds.

Head Coach Ziv Arie spoke to the Official Website following the final training session prior to the match: “The two losses against them were actually two totally different games. It’s going to be tough to play our football at Kiryat Haim. We’ll try to make the difference in the box. About last game at Ramle, I’d rather forget about it.”

The players and the challenge ahead:

“A lot of the players here have been through some big matches, be it the Champions League Youth League and also in the earlier round of the State Cup. We’re not a team that knows how to move the ball forward but we will make some adjustments and make sure we don’t make any mistakes.”

Encouraged from last Saturday’s match:

“It’s been tough to put a finger on where the momentum will swing next this season. We made some second half changes and the players responded well. I hope that it gave them some confidence but we still have to be a bit more aggressive and not be as soft as we were. There’s no room for mistakes in Cup play.”

The importance of the match and the State Cup:

“The players know full well what our goal is with the Cup tournament and they are not afraid of it. I told the players that it doesn’t matter who we get drawn against. Did they get it? We’ll find out tomorrow at 18:00.”

Hapoel Beer Sheva 1:4 Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv

Following two straight losses, Ziv Arie’s side defeated the southern Reds at Wassermil Stadium in Beer Sheva. The Yellow-and-Blue went down on a set piece strike but Amit Rosenboim drew Maccabi even before the half. Oliel Peretz, Prince Thomas and Or Dasa all led the charge in the final 45 minutes as the visitors came away with a big 4:1 victory. For the full match report CLICK HERE

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv 5:1 SC Ashdod

After falling to Ashdod in State Cup action, the young Yellow-and-Blue hosted them at Kiryat Shalom and came out on top. Eden Agmi scored in the 6th minute and added a second in the 33rd minute. Deslin Balachio, Netanel Malca and Moshe Peleg all scored in the win.

Gadna Tel Aviv 1:3 Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv

Eliezer Ben Aharon and Gady Brumer’s club came back from a 1:0 deficit on goals by Junas Jabarain, Daniel Badar and Gil Rahimi at the Cherner field in Jaffa.

Ironi Modiin 0:2 Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv

The Under-15 side defeated Modiin on Friday as Amir Sofer’s team won 2:0 away to collect an additional 3-points.

Maccabi “Team 2” Tel Aviv 3:3 Maccabi Petach Tikva

Amit Yaakov’s hat-trick wasn’t enough for Ran Elias and his charges as the match that took place at Kiryat Shalom ended in a thrilling 3:3 draw.

Maccabi visited Wassermil Stadium looking to end a two game losing streak against Hapoel Beer Sheva as coach Ziv Arie started Yarin Sharabi who was promoted from the Under-17 side.

The hosts started off strong with a terrific opportunity in the third minute by Liel Sasportas, however keeper Hen Ozeri made the initial save right on the goal line and Guy Aviv who was wearing the captain’s armband made the second stop to keep the game goalless early on.

Yarin Sharabi who was making his debut with the Under-19 team gave the young Yellow-and-Blue a quality chance in the 19th minute when he laid the ball off for Eylon Almog but the striker’s weak effort went into the waiting hands of the Beer Sheva keeper Ido Arlaki. Sharabi sent another fantastic ball to Almog but his attempt went wide of the goal just minutes later.

In the 39th minute Beer Sheva broke the deadlock when a Sasportas 20 meter free kick found the back of the goal to give the southern side a 1:0 advantage. The lead didn’t last long as Maccabi found the equalizer in the 44th minute. Amit Rosenboim lifted a ball into the box and found Arlaki out of position as the visitors drew even 1:1. Right before the whistle blew to end the first 45 minutes, Shay Golan was shown a yellow card as the sides went into the break all knotted up at 1:1.

Head Coach Ziv Arie made two substitutions to begin the second frame as Tomer Altman and Omri Haramati were introduced in place of Shay Golan and Eylon Almog. Just two minutes into the half, Oliel Peretz scooted past the central defender and beat Arlaki to give Maccabi “Shachar” a 2:1 lead.

The Yellow-and-Blue then controlled the flow of the match, however chances by Kanichowsky, Peretz, Sharabi and others couldn’t cushion their advantage. But Thomas Prince who came in for Sharabi in the 72nd minute took a fabulous pass five minutes later, turned and swung the ball into the corner of the goal for his maiden marker to give his side a 3:1 lead.

Or Dasa also got into the act and added a goal of his own when he received a deep pass by Kanichowsky brought the ball down with his chest and slammed it behind Arlaki to give the Yellow-and-Blue a 4:1 victory.

Hapoel Beer Sheva – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv, 12:00, Beer Sheva (Live on Sport 5)

Ziv Arie’s Yellow-and-Blue team will look to forge a new path after two defeats in a row as they visit Wassermil Stadium and Hapoel Beer Sheva who are currently in second place. Should Maccabi win they will leap over the Southern Reds from fourth place.

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv – SC Ashdod, 09:00, Kiryat Shalom

Following a State Cup clash between the two clubs where the young Yellow-and-Blue fell on penalties, the sides will meet once again on Matchday 24 of the Under-17 League.

Gadna Tel Aviv – Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv, 09:00, Cherner Jaffa

Eliezer Ben Aharon and Gady Brumer’s charges will visit Gadna Tel Aviv in Jaffa. The club leads their league and will look to add another 3-points to their total on Saturday.

Ironi Modiin – Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv, 16:00, Modiin

Maccabi “Eldad” will take their show on the road as Amir Sofer’s side head to Modiin for a match that will take place on Friday afternoon. The young Yellow-and-Blue currently lead the table by 12 points.

Maccabi “Team 2” Tel Aviv – Maccabi Petach Tikva, Kiryat Shalom, 08:30

Currently sitting in third place, Ran Elias and his team will host the Petach Tikva club who find themselves in second place. The match will take place at the Kiryat Shalom Training Facility.

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv – International Break

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv – International Break

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” – Ironi Moddin, 09:30, Kiryat Shalom

Eliezer Ben Aharon and Gady Brumer’s team will take on their Modiin counterparts at the Yellow-and-Blue’s training facility. After an important victory over Hapoel Beer Sheva last Saturday, Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” will look to continue their winning streak and spend another week at the top of the table.

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv – Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv, 08:30, Kiryat Shalom

In another match that will be played at Kiryat Shalom, the Under-15 club will play a mini derby against Bnei Yehuda. Following a big win against Kiryat Ono last Matchday, Amir Sofer’s side will look to continue their positive play.

Hapoel “Aliya” Kfar Saba – Maccabi “Team 2” Tel Aviv, 11:00,Kfar Saba

Ran Elias and his team will visit Kfar Saba on Matchday 20 of the Sharon Under-15 League. Despite losing last week, the squad will look to get back onto the winning track.

Ndiaye Ibrahima began a trial with the Maccabi Tel Aviv youth club. The 17-year old player from Senegal will hope to impress coach Ziv Arie and the professional staff to be a part of next year’s squad.

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv are in the midst of the International break as they will look to get back on the winning track the following week against their counterparts from Hapoel Beer Sheva

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv 1:4 Hapoel “Robi” Haifa

The Under-19 team fell at home to Hapoel Haifa. The young Yellow-and-Blue opened the match well but couldn’t find a goal early on as Eylon Almog was only able to tie up the score at 1:1 after which Maccabi “Shachar” gave up three straight goals to the visitors.

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv 3:1 Beitar “Oren” Jerusalem

Following the International break, Maccabi “Oded” defeated their Jerusalem counterparts at Kiryat Shalom. The Yellow-and-Blue took the lead on a penalty goal by Thomas Prince as the lead lasted until the 60th minute when Beitar drew even. However, ten minutes later Netanel Peretz gave the lead back to Maccabi for good and Idan Tzioni added an insurance marker in the 73rd minute for the 3:1 victory.

Hapoel Beer Sheva 0:3 Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv

Just a day before the “Match of the Year” between the First Teams the Under-16 sides met each other in Beer Sheva as the Yellow-and-Blue receive goals by Dani Amar, Eyal Hen and Shachar Drucker in the win.

Hapoel Kiryat Ono 0:6 Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv

Maccabi “Eldad” picked up the victory over their Kiryat Ono counterparts on goals by Tashager Dego, Bar Cohen, Ido Shachar, Omri Ram Yuval Ben Ami and Ra’ava Assayag.

Maccabi Barkai 1:0 Maccabi “Team 2” Tel Aviv

Ran Elias and his charges fell to Maccabi Barkai on Friday after giving up a goal in the 29 minute.

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv kicked off against Hapoel Haifa on Matchday 21 of the Toto Youth League at Ramle Stadium. Coach Ziv Arie looked to get his side back on the winning track especially with the return of winger Eylon Almog who was at the Under-17 Tournament last weekend. The hosts also looked to avenge the defeat that the Reds handed them last round at Kiryat Chaim by a 2:0 score. First Team coach Peter Bosz and assistant Hendrie Kruzen were also on hand to check out the up and coming Yellow-and-Blue youngsters from the stands.

Ziv Arie’s club had a terrific chance early on in the 3rd minute as Eylon Almog sent a deep pass to Amit Shapira but the midfielder couldn’t find the handle on the ball while Almog himself sent a 13th minute header just wide of the goal.

Maccabi continued pressing to find the first goal of the match and in the 20th minute their efforts almost paid off when Shapira found Gaby Kanichowsky in the box. Kanichowsky deceived the defender but his effort just missed the mark to keep the match goalless. The visitors also had a number of chances and in the 30th minute they would break the deadlock.

Sa’ar Ohayon came out of his goal a bit too far as Haifa captain Maxim Falchenko chipped the ball over the Maccabi keeper to give the away side the 1:0 lead. The young Yellow-and-Blue searched for the equalizer but Almog’s cross to Kanichowsky was smartly intercepted by Haifa keeper Rotem Fadifa as Maccabi went into the break down by one goal.

Or Dasa came on for Lazar Durovic to start the second half for Arie’s club but Maccabi wasn’t able to take advantage of the fresh legs up front as Idan Golan took a deep cross and beat Ohayon from in close to give Haifa a 2:0 advantage in the 57th minute.

Almog cut the lead to 2:1 just four minutes later when the winger headed in the ball to pull the hosts to within striking distance. However, Haifa’s substitute Ido Weir handled a deep ball and beat Ohayon one-on-one in the 74th minute while Rami Khalfo scored in the 88th minute give the visitors a 4:1 win.