The Israeli Premier League continues with its head-to-head championship race, as nothing is over yet.
Maccabi Haifa didn't give up on their title aspirations. Their 3-0 win against FC Ashdod last week gave them a bit more confidence before their next match. They hosted Ironi Kiryat Shmona, which failed to win a game in the championship group until now.
Maccabi Haifa was the clear favourite since the first minute. In the 8th minute, Godsway Donyoh found the net, and Maccabi Haifa took their first lead. In the 42nd minute, Tjaronn Chery scored his 9th league goal this season. The game was over in the 54th minute when Mohammed Awaed returned in January from a loan spell in Lech Poznan, scoring his first league goal this season. Omer Atzili scored the last goal in the 76th minute. Atzili completes a great week with three goals in five days.
Maccabi Haifa thrashed Ironi Kiryat Shmona 4-0 and climbed back to 1st place, waiting for Maccabi Tel Aviv's match.
The Black Horses Are Riding
FC Ashdod is safe in the 3rd place, as they are getting closer to secure their Europa Conference League berth. This week they tried to surprise the league leaders, Maccabi Tel Aviv, in an away match.
Ashdod has failed to defeat Maccabi Tel Aviv away since 2004, and they were close to ending this drought. In the 47th minute, Ya'akov Berihon shocked Maccabi Tel Aviv and scored the first for Ashdod. The guests played well and had some decent attempts to score more, but they couldn't find the net. In the 71st minute, Enric Saborit has scored the equalizer for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
The 1-1 draw wasn't enough for Maccabi Tel Aviv, as they dropped to 2nd place, one point behind Maccabi Haifa. Their form is still impressive with their 22nd undefeated league game in a row.
Time to Say Goodbye
After two seasons in the Israeli Premier League, Hapoel Kfar Saba is close to secure its relegation. In the last matchday, they have been defeated 3-0 by Bnei Sakhnin. As Hapoel Tel Aviv defeated Maccabi Netanya 1-0, they are 10 points away from 12th place with four matches left to the end of the season.
Bnei Yehuda thought that they could do much better against Beitar Jerusalem. They have been in a 2-0 lead in halftime, but two late goals by Marko Janković in the 90th minute and Uri Magbo in the 94th minute have equalized the score. Bnei Yehuda is 6 points behind 12th place, and they need to get more points to avoid relegation.
Thumbnail photo by Maccabi Haifa FC official Facebook page
