Road to the Cup: 2014/15 Semifinal against Ahi Nazareth

Tonight at 20:30 Maccabi Tel Aviv will face Bnei Sakhnin at Sammy Ofer Stadium in the State Cup Semifinals. Let's take a look back at last year's semifinal match that took place at Teddy Stadium

Maccabi Youth Department & Tayibe children participate in joint training session

Maccabi Tel Aviv and children from Tayibe get together for a special day at Kiryat Shalom

The children in the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department spend more of their time training designed to improve their skills on the pitch and during match action. Improving technique and physical presence, the Yellow-and-Blue youth department also puts a special emphasis on personal growth as people as well.

This past Sunday, April 17th a group of children from Tayibe were hosted at Kiryat Shalom as they participated in a joint practice session with the Under-15 squad and their coach Kfir Alfonte. The children played a friendly match and afterwards mingled together and got to know each other on and off of the field of play.

A big surprise awaited the children as Haviv Ohayon, the First Team and Under-19 keeper joined the action and also assisted on a couple of goals. The Under-15 players’ parents organized a snack afterwards along with the Tayibe parents and the Maccabi Youth Department participants gave out mugs that had the following printed on them: “Maccabi Tel Aviv & Tayibe Youth for Coexistence” with the goal achieved after a fun day at Kiryat Shalom.

The children in the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department spend more of ...

Maccabi & Hapoel Under-17 squads come together for Passover

Rivals on the pitch, gentleman off of it. The Maccabi and Hapoel youth departments visited a soup kitchen in Kiryat Shalom and packaged items for the holiday

In order to get into the holiday spirit just a few days before Passover, the Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Tel Aviv Under-17 squads got together at a soup kitchen kitchen in southern Tel Aviv to do the mitzvah, the good deed of Kimcha D’pischa, giving charity prior to the Passover holiday. The players packaged food items and have out gifts to the residents. This Saturday the clubs will face each other on the pitch in a Derby to take place at the Kiryat Shalom Training Facility.

Maccabi’s Under-17 side came with goalkeeping coach and educational consultant Chen Abdu who together with Eran Sassi and Maccabi “Oded” coach Ori Uzan helped the squad with this project. Uzan said: “Any type of contribution to the community is a good thing. Together the Yellow-and-Blue as well as the Red children are he for one purpose only, to do these good deeds together. The rivalry has to be on the pitch only for both the players and fans alike.”

Eran Sassi, Hapoel’s coach commented: “To do something for the poor is of the highest value as it connects sportsmanship to the society at large in doing good deeds for the community both as a football club and as an individual. I’m sure that these types of events brings together the positive spirit of sportsmanship and understanding within a rivalry and that keeps the violence and other negative aspects away.”

In order to get into the holiday spirit just a few days ...

Maccabi “Shachar” and Kiryat Shemona draw 1-1

Ziv Arie's club travelled north for a 2 vs. 3 matchup as the status quo was maintained thanks to an Eylon Almog goal

After a dramatic victory last Matchday against Beitar Jerusalem, Ziv Arie’s side headed north to take on Kiryat Shemona. Oliel Peretz was unavailable as he continues to train with the Senior Team while Coach Arie used the same lineup that took on Jerusalem last week.

The game didn’t open up as planned for the Yellow-and-Blue as they gave up an early goal in the 5th minute. Rotem Hatula scored first to give the hosts a quick 1:0 lead. The first half was not one that the Under-19 side would like to remember as Kiryat Shemona had many chances, but were unable to add to their lead.

However, just before halftime, Yarin Sharabi’s free kick found Eylon Almog who scored from in close to draw his side even at 1:1 as the sides headed into the break.

The late first half goal gave the Yellow-and-Blue a good shot in the arm as the second half was all Maccabi with many quality chances on goal. Mahmoud Awesat and Eden Kartzev who just returned from injuries came on as second half substitutes, but Maccabi “Shachar” were unable to find the winning goal as the sides ended in a 1:1 draw.

With the status quo maintained, Maccabi “Shachar” remained in second place for yet another week.

After a dramatic victory last Matchday against Beitar Jerusalem, Ziv Arie’s side ...

Yellow-and-Blue Saturday – Match Results April 16, 2016

The Under-19 squad maintained their second place position, the Under-17 picked up an important win and the rest of the youth department action is all inside

Kiryat Shemona 1:1 Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv

The second place Maccabi club played their northern counterparts who are in third place to a 1:1 draw as Eylon Almog scored the lone goal for the Under-19 side. For the full match report CLICK HERE

Hapoel Ramat HaSharon 0:3 Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv

Ori Uzan and Leon Asraf’s club picked up an important money time win by defeating Ramat HaSharon away while the second place side lost opening up a five point gap between Maccabi “Oded” and Hapoel Tel Aviv just a week and a half before the two sides face each other. Deslin Ballachio with a brace and Eden Agami scored for the Yellow-and-Blue.

Hapoel Ramat HaSharon 0:0 Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv

In an additional match between the two clubs, the Under-16 team ended their game in a goalless draw. Eliezer Ben Aharon and Gady Brumer’s side are in first place with a seven point lead with four Matchdays remaining in the season. Midweek they’ll face Hapoel Akko in State Cup semifinal action.

Maccabi “Team 2” Tel Aviv 2:1 Maccabi “Shay” Netanya

Ran Elias and Amir Sofer’s charges scored a crucial win on Friday by defeating their Sharon counterpart at Kiryat Shalom. Oz Bilui and Amit Yakov scored for the young Yellow-and-Blue.

Kiryat Shemona 1:1 Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv

The second place Maccabi club played ...

Youth Department helps organize food packages with Achim LaSemal

Maccabi Tel Aviv's Under-15 squads helped put together food packages on Friday for the needy

To be part of the Maccabi Tel Aviv youth department requires one to put on many hours of training time, sacrifice and a tremendous amount of physical work. However, another area that the youth department looks at being critical is volunteering and giving back to the community.

This past Friday, the Under-15 players joined goalkeeping coach and educational consultant Chen Abdu for a special day preparing food packages for Holocaust survivors and the elderly with Achim LaSemel. The youth players worked hard in order to help as many people as possible on this special day of volunteering and giving back to the community.

To be part of the Maccabi Tel Aviv youth department requires one ...

Sammy Ofer Week: The goals are clear

Maccabi Tel Aviv begins Sammy Ofer week with a tough away contest against Maccabi Haifa this evening at 20:55. Thursday at 20:30, they face Bnei Sakhnin in State Cup semifinal action. We all know what the goals of this week are. Check it out

Youth Department Action, Saturday April 16

Lots of youth department action this weekend at Kiryat Shalom and around the country

Kiryat Shemona – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv, 11:30, Kiryat Shemona

The Under-19 team will look to keep up their winning ways after defeating Beitar Jerusalem last Matchday against the Northern side, whom they beat last round in dramatic fashion. Maccabi finds themselves in second place just three points ahead of Kiryat Shemona in third place.

Ramat HaSharon – Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv, 08:30, Ramat HaSharon

With a two point advantage at the top of the table, Ori Uzan and Leon Asraf’s club will look to increase that lead against the club from the Sharon and remain in first place with only five Matchdays remaining in League play.

Ramat HaSharon – Maccabi “Eli Fuchs”, 12:30, Ramat HaSharon

Act two against the Sharon club will take place away as the Under-16 side will look to continue their fine form after defeating Ashkelon last week 5:1.

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv will play midweek

Maccabi “Team 2” Tel Aviv – Maccabi Netanya, 09:00, Kiryat Shalom

Ran Elias and Amir Sofer will guide their team against their Netanya counterparts on Friday morning.

Kiryat Shemona – Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv, 11:30, Kiryat Shemona

The Under-19 team ...

Zahavi’s winner sends Maccabi into 1st place and breaks single season goal scoring record

Zahavi leads Maccabi over Beitar 3:2 into first place with a brace, as Micha also scores while Rukavytsya picks up a pair for Jerusalem

Maccabi Tel Aviv hosted Beitar Jerusalem on Matchday 30 of the WINNER League Championship Playoffs with an opportunity to leap frog over Hapoel Beer Sheva and claim first place

Eran Zahavi proved to the football world yet again why he is the biggest winner in Israeli football today as the Captain shattered the single season goal scoring record with a brace and propelled Maccabi into first place ahead of Hapoel Beer Sheva. Micha scored the first goal of the match while Nikita Rukavytsya scored a brace for Beitar Jerusalem as the Yellow-and-Blue.

Head Coach Peter Bosz started keeper Predrag Rajikovic in goal as usual with a defensive quartet of Eli Dasa, Eitan Tibi, Carlos Garcia and Yuval Shpungin who was playing in place of the injured Omri Ben Harush in front of the young Serbian shot stopper. Wily veteran Gal Alberman along with Haris Medunjanin manned the midfield while Dor Micha, Tal Ben Chaim, Orlando Sa and Captain Eran Zahavi provided the attack up front.

It didn’t take long for Maccabi to make a mark on the match as they quickly took a 1:0 lead in the 10th minute. Alberman led a quick break as the midfielder sent a fantastic ball down the right side to a streaking Dasa. The right back found a wide open Micha who calmly beat Beitar keeper Boris Kleyman to give the Yellow-and-Blue an early lead.

However, ten minutes later Beitar was awarded a penalty after Itay Shecter was fouled in the box and Nikita Rukavytsya easily converted the spot kick to even up the score at 1:1.

With the match back to square one, Maccabi searched for the go ahead goal, but Dasa’s effort went over the Beitar goal and Zahavi’s chance went off of the bar as the frenzied match headed into the 30th minute. As the Yellow-and-Blue continued to control the flow of the match, Zahavi had another wonderful opportunity but his 31st minute header from the middle of the box went out, right over the goal.

Portuguese striker Sa also chipped in with a close range header but his effort went over a leaping Kleyman and over the bar. Zahavi with yet another grand opportunity saw his free kick just scoot by the left post as Kleyman stretched as far as he could to ensure number 7 would stay off of the scoresheet. But he couldn’t keep him off of it for much longer.

In the 43rd minute, Zahavi finally scored his 30th goal of the season tying the Israel League single season goal scoring record with Nisim Elmaliah. The Captain took an unbelievable Micha pass in the box and slammed the ball home behind a helpless Kleyman into the Beitar goal for a 2:1 lead at the break.

The second half began with the same starting XI for both sides. Maccabi’s first chance came in the 54th minute when Sa left the ball for Ben Chaim on the left side. The winger found Zahavi in the box but his header missed the mark as did the Captain’s chance in the 58th minute again from a brilliant play by the winger.

Beitar then punished Maccabi for all of those missed opportunities, when just one minute later Rukavytsya scored his second of the game from in close to draw the Yellow-and-Black even with the Yellow-and-Blue at 2:2.

Ben Chaim who moved his play up a notch in the second half had another chance when his effort from the wing was grabbed by Kleyman to keep the score as is. The 70th minute saw Head Coach Bosz make his first substitution of the match introducing Eden Ben Basat for Sa to help jump start the offense for the remaining 20 minutes.

With Maccabi looking for the winner in the final 10 minutes of the match, Dasa’s chance from Micha missed the mark, Medunjanin’s chip to Zahavi also couldn’t find the goal and Ben Basat’s header went into the waiting hands of the keeper Kleyman. As time continued to wind down Barak Itzhaki came on in favor of Ben Chaim in the 87th minute.

And then it happened. Number 7, the Captain, Eran Zahavi finds the winner out of nowheres in the 90th minute to not only break the Israel League single season goal scoring record with 31 on the campaign, but also to move the Yellow-and-Blue into first place, ahead of rival Hapoel Beer Sheva!

Maccabi Tel Aviv hosted Beitar Jerusalem on Matchday 30 of the WINNER ...

Ohayon scores 90th minute goal for 1-0 Maccabi “Shachar” win

For 90 minutes Ziv Arie's players struggled to find a winner against Beitar Jerusalem until keeper Haviv Ohayon, who just returned from injury, headed one home from a Kanichowsky cross

It took 90 minutes for Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv to break through the stingy Beitar Jerusalem defense as keeper Haviv Ohayon headed the ball past the opponent’s shot stopper helping his side to a 1:0 win. Ohayon left his position to take part in seemingly the final play of the match to score off of a Gaby Kanichowsky cross.

After being eliminated from State Cup play in the quarterfinal round earlier in the week, the young Yellow-and-Blue looked to get back into the win column without the services of Oliel Peretz who was suspended for the match. Keeper Haviv Ohayon returned to action coming back from a head injury and faced a Jerusalem side that looks to be heading towards relegation at the end of the season. Meitar Shemesh was the referee for the tilt at Ramle Stadium.

Head Coach Ziv Arie’s players began the match pressuring Beitar keeper Tamir Lalo and in the 5th minute Gaby Kanichowsky’s 17 meter effort was saved by the shot stopper. Beitar Jerusalem then began to take control of the match with Haviv Ohayon proving he was up to the task in the 15th and 26th minutes extinguishing Oz Zahavi and Austine’s efforts.

Guy Aviv had the Yellow-and-Blue’s best opportunity of the half but his 32nd minute hard angle chance in the box went just wide of the left post. Eight minutes later Or Dasa fed Almog Eylon from the right side but his excellent opportunity didn’t find its way past the Beitar keeper as the sides went into the break goalless.

The second half opened with no substitutions from both clubs. In the 52nd minute Eylon and Kanichowsky each had terrific chances to give Maccabi “Shachar” a lead but the former’s opportunity from 7 meters out was stopped cold by Lalo and the latter’s rebound attempt struck a Beitar defender going out for a corner. Five minutes later Austine almost produced the goal of the year off of a backheel but his effort just skipped by the post.

Maccabi “Shachar” continued to control the tempo and flow of the match but couldn’t find a goal until keeper Haviv Ohayon headed home a Gaby Kanichowsky cross for the valuable three points and the game winning strike after coming back from injury.

Following the match Head Coach Ziv Arie said: “These 90 minutes really summed up our year. After Wednesday’s match I just wanted the players to put the game aside and come into this contest full of energy as if the season was just starting. It didn’t exactly work out that way and the first 20 minutes we looked slow and sluggish. We played against a club that was very organized wanting to take a point and look to counterattack against us. We didn’t create chances and our opponent was more organized and physical than we were. We had some opportunities in the second half but couldn’t find a way to score. Just like I’ve said in the past and I’ll say it again now that Haviv Ohayon is a key player for us and our anchor. I’m happy for the players and this win really picked them up.”

Haviv Ohayon added: “I’ve been waiting for this goal for a very long time and I always believed that if I would go up for the last play of the game I’d score. If I didn’t believe that I could score I would never go up and even attempt to do it. I along with Maccabi keep improving game by game. My future? I trust that the Maccabi people will make the right decision. I’m sure I can rely on my teammates and their abilities in the coming matches so I don’t have to be the one to help win the game.”

It took 90 minutes for Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv to break through ...