Israeli Premier League: Maccabi Haifa won the title after 10 years!

No one could think that the last matchday of the Israeli Premier League will be a dramatic day.

Maccabi Haifa led the league comfortably, but they missed an opportunity to clinch the title last week. Their 1-1 draw against Ironi Kiryat Shmona has dropped their advantage on top to 2 points. Maccabi Haifa had to wait four more days before celebrating.

On the other hand, Maccabi Tel Aviv didn't want to give up. While following Maccabi Haifa's match against Hapoel Be'er Sheva, they had to defeat Ironi Kiryat Shmona to keep their chances.

For both Maccabi Haifa and Hapoel Be'er Sheva, a draw would be enough for completing their missions. Maccabi Haifa had a clear advantage on goal difference over Maccabi Tel Aviv. Hapoel Be'er Sheva was in the same race for the 4th place and the Europa Conference League berth, as their main competitors are Maccabi Petah Tikva.

Haifa is amazing this evening.

This is how you dress for a title decider for a first championship in 10 years.

🔥🟢🔥🟢🔥🟢🔥 pic.twitter.com/vnER55a2dR
— BabaGol (@BabaGol_) May 30, 2021

It took 13 minutes for Haifa to score their first. David Keltjens tripped José Rodriguez, and Maccabi Haifa was awarded a penalty kick. Omer Atzili scored, and Maccabi Haifa was in a 1-0 lead.

Maccabi Tel Aviv was in a rush to score. In the 18th minute, Dan Bitton has done it. With the 1-0 lead against Ironi Kiryat Shmona, both Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv kept their 2-point difference.

From now, each team ran to their clear win. In the 34th minute, Nikita Rukavytsya scored the second for Maccabi Haifa. Five minutes later, Dan Bitton found the net once again for Maccabi Tel Aviv. Just before halftime, another penalty for Maccabi Haifa and Tjaronn Chery converted it.

Both teams were in a clear lead. 3-0 for Maccabi Haifa against Hapoel Be'er Sheva, 2-0 for Maccabi Tel Aviv against Ironi Kiryat Shmona. Maccabi Haifa was 45 minutes away from winning the title.

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In the second half, the title contenders conceded for the first time. Lúcio Maranhão has done it for Ironi Kiryat Shmona in the 53rd minute. In the 57th minute, Tomer Yosefi scored for Hapoel Be'er Sheva. The lead on top was stable.

Without any drama, the main event became, for a few minutes, the third match. Maccabi Petah Tikva hosted FC Ashdod, with a chance to reach 4th place in the late moments. Idan Dahan scored for FC Ashdod in the 57th minute, but Liel Abada equalized in the 70th minute.

In the 81st minute, something has changed. Hapoel Be'er Sheva has suddenly attacked, and Farley Rosa made a decent shot from a long range. Josh Cohen didn't stop it, and now it's a 3-2 lead for Maccabi Haifa.

Maccabi Haifa had only 10 minutes left to end ten years of suffering. Meanwhile, Hapoel Be'er Sheva got closer to the Europa Conference League. Din David in the 86th minute and Yaacov Berihon in the 90th minute added two goals, and FC Ashdod defeated Maccabi Petah Tikva 3-2.

Just before Maccabi Haifa's fans couldn't take it anymore, good news has arrived from Tel Aviv. In the 92nd minute, Eugene Ansa scored for Ironi Kiryat Shmona and equalized the score. With a 2-2 draw, Maccabi Tel Aviv had no chance to get the title back.

With fireworks in the stadium, Maccabi Haifa won 3-2 and clinched their 13th championship. It wasn't only an end for a long wait. It was also the end of one of the fantastic and complicated seasons we saw. It was a season that began with no fans in the stadiums. A season that has been stopped twice due to the coronavirus outbreak. A season that ends with 30,000 fans in the stands, cheering for their heroes.

The season is over, but everyone knows that Maccabi Haifa is maybe starting a new era.