Maccabi Haifa hoped for a proper farewell for their Champions League group stage campaign.
The stage was set, a home match, against Benfica, in the Sammy Ofer stadium - the same ground that hosted their sensational win against Juventus three weeks ago was sold out, and every corner was painted green.
Benfica, one of the strongest sides in the competition this season, had already confirmed their place in the round of 16, but knew that there was a possibility they could finish in first place in their group.
The Israelis, meanwhile, were looking for the opportunity to finish in third place, and maybe a spot in the Europa League.
But Benfica showed from the start that it wouldn’t be easy - Nicolas Otamendi assisted a Goncalo Ramos header, that hit the back of the net 20 minutes in.
But that leader wasn’t going to last long. Pierre Cornud’s shot was stopped by the hand of Alexander Bah. Referee Michael Oliver missed it, but VAR reversed his decision, and called for a penalty kick, which Tjaronn Chery slotted home.
The situation forced the Benfica manager, Roger Schmidt, to make two early changes, bringing Petar Musa and Chiquinho onto the field.
Maccabi Haifa was close to an upset in the half time (Shaul Greenfeld)
Half-time came and went, and Maccabi came out from the break with a far more attacking attitude. They brought Omer Arzili on, their prolific striker who scored a brace against Juventus earlier on in the competition.
But a moment before he could be brought, a chance to take the lead came to Benfica. Alexander Bah crossed from the right hand side, and substitute Petar Musa headed the ball into the back of the net.
Despite the Israelis trying their hardest to search for an equaliser, Benfica showed why they’re as yet unbeaten in the group.
An Alex Grimaldo free kick in the 69th minute made it 3-1 and, four minutes later, a mistake from Shon Goldberg allowed Rafa Silva to put the Portuguese side 4-1 up.
It didn’t stop there. Benfica knew that their goal difference could be key in their head-to-head race against Paris Saint-Germain. Two more late goals saw the game end 6-1 and, following a number of unusual tie-breaking rules, Benfica topped the group.
But what about Maccabi Haifa?
It’s no coincidence that no Israeli club had reached the Champions League group stage since 2015-16. And most of the clubs that have made it to this stage have failed to impress.
The differences between Israeli football and the top-tier European club are still significant. Maccabi Haifa put in some impressive performances during this campaign, but in the end, they finished with only three points, conceding 21 goals in the process.
No matter what competition they compete in next year, they will need to learn from their participation this season. Maybe next time we’ll see something different.
Thumbnail photo by Shaul Greenfeld
Edited by Alex Smith
