The international break is over, and for the Israeli Premier League, it was time to kick off the season’ second stage with the championship and the relegation groups.
Maccabi Tel Aviv began the championship group in second place. They know that they need to get over the history, only once a team that was placed second finished as the champions. Their first match was a home match against Hapoel Be'er Sheva, who barely reached the championship group.
Maccabi Tel Aviv didn't lose to Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the previous five encounters between the teams this season, and there was no chance that the result will change it. It took time until Nick Blackman has netted the first for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 42nd minute. Maccabi Tel Aviv's attacks were lethal, even if they were not dominant for long periods of the match. Blackman was in the right place to score the second in the 57th minute. It was the first brace of the Barbadian player in the Israeli Premier League. Sagiv Yehezkel gave Hapoel Be'er Sheva time to hope with a goal in the 71st minute, but the guests failed to equalize.
The reigning champions celebrate a 2-1 win, climbing to the top of the league, in a crucial week for their championship battles with the match against Maccabi Haifa tonight.
Missing Points
This win was more important due to the match between Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Petah Tikva. For Maccabi Haifa, running to the championship is all they are thinking about. Meanwhile, Maccabi Petah Tikva returns to the championship group for the first time since 2017, aiming for a berth in the Europa Conference League next season.
Maccabi Haifa scored the first goal in the 19th minute when Tjarron Chery scored. Chery has recently returned for his own international mission after making a debut for the Suriname national team. Maccabi Haifa wore a unique retro shirt in a tribute to their golden age in the 80s', but their narrow misses took them back to the last decade when they failed to win the title. In the 51st minute, their title drought hit them back again when Liel Abada equalized the score. Maccabi Haifa looked for the second goal but couldn't convert any of their chances.
In the end, a 1-1 draw, and Maccabi Haifa is slipping back to second place, one point behind Maccabi Tel Aviv. On Tuesday, they will try to pass one of their biggest hurdles this season – a home match against Maccabi Tel Aviv. If they fail to win, it might be the first sign of the end of their journey.
No One Can Escape
The relegation group was about two teams lying in the last places, Hapoel Kfar Saba and Bnei Yehuda. Both teams are on a mission to close the gap from the safe zone.
Although Bnei Yehuda managed to defeat Hapoel Haifa 3-1, the teams above didn't fail to get points. Bnei Sakhnin made a 0-0 draw against Maccabi Netanya, giving themselves a bit of confidence. Hapoel Tel Aviv, which lost only twice in their last 10 league matches, defeated Hapoel Hadera 1-0.
In the following weeks, these teams will face each other for the last opportunity to run away from the bottom places.
Thumbnail photo by Maccabi Tel Aviv FC official Facebook page.
