Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Maccabi Tel Aviv Locked in Thrilling Title Race

Ligat Ha’al's championship race is getting closer to its final moments. On matchday 34, Hapoel Be’er Sheva hosted Maccabi Haifa at Turner Stadium.

Hapoel Be’er Sheva came into the match after a draw in the season's biggest game against Maccabi Tel Aviv. Both teams are still tied on points, but Hapoel Be’er Sheva leads due to a better goal difference. The home team knows they need more than just a win, as Maccabi Tel Aviv were playing away at the same time against Maccabi Netanya.

Maccabi Haifa had a chaotic week. In their last game, they were thrashed 5-1 by Hapoel Haifa. As a result, manager Barak Bakhar and sporting director Gal Alberman were fired. Itay Mordechai, the U19 team manager, was appointed as caretaker manager. At this point in the season, Maccabi Haifa have already clinched a Conference League spot and doesn’t have much left to play for.

FIRST HALF

During the first half, Hapoel Be’er Sheva tried to find the net, while goals were being scored in Netanya. Maccabi Tel Aviv took the lead in the 10th minute with a solid goal by Eran Zahavi. In the 30th minute, Freddy Vargas equalised, but five minutes later, Maccabi Tel Aviv regained the lead with a penalty scored by Dor Turgeman.

At the same time, Hapoel Be’er Sheva was dominant on the field. Only in the 45th minute did they convert it into a goal. Dan Biton ran down the right wing and crossed the ball into the box. The ball was curled enough to confuse goalkeeper Sharif Kaiuf. Hapoel Be’er Sheva led 1-0.

One minute later, another goal for the hosts. Shai Elias passed through two defenders and crossed from the right. Zahi Ahmed made a short header to Kings Kangwa. The Zambian launched a high shot over Kaiuf, who couldn’t stop it. A 2-0 lead.

SECOND HALF

The second half began with chaos in both matches. In the 47th minute, Maccabi Haifa applied high pressure on Be’er Sheva's defenders. After several passes, Dolev Haziza took the ball and struck it into the net, 2-1.

In Netanya, Maccabi Tel Aviv didn’t take any chances and scored twice quickly. Osher Davida in the 50th minute and Eran Zahavi two minutes later gave Maccabi Tel Aviv a 4-1 lead. At that moment, both teams had the same goal difference. The second tiebreaker is the number of wins, where Hapoel Be’er Sheva leads by one.

In the 70th minute, more breaking news from Netanya. Eran Zahavi scored his third goal, giving Maccabi Tel Aviv a 5-1 lead and the advantage in goal difference. It wasn’t the last twist of the night. Five minutes later, Hapoel Be’er Sheva pressed Haifa’s defense, Roei Gordana took the ball and passed it to Alon Turgeman, who scored into an open goal. 3-1 for Hapoel Be’er Sheva.

In the 90th minute, Hapoel Be’er Sheva tried to restore their goal difference lead. A quick counterattack ended with a solid goal by Dan Biton. Within a minute, everything changed, as VAR reversed the decision. At the same time, Nemanja Stojic scored a sixth for Maccabi Tel Aviv.

The chaos at Turner Stadium wasn’t over. In the 94th minute, Hapoel Be’er Sheva quickly moved into the box, and Amir Ganah scored their fourth goal. A minute later, Maccabi Haifa got a penalty. Dia Saba took the shot, but Niv Eliasi saved it. Hapoel Be’er Sheva still led 4-1.With the final whistle, things became closer than ever.

LIGAT HA’AL PRESENTS: AN EXTREMELY TIGHT TITLE RACE

Hapoel Be’er Sheva won 4-1, Maccabi Tel Aviv won 6-1, and now both teams are tied on points and goal difference. Next week, both sides face tough away games. Hapoel Be’er Sheva will play against Beitar Jerusalem, two weeks before they meet again in the cup final. Maccabi Tel Aviv will face Maccabi Haifa.