Israeli football has entered its money time—the playoff phase, which splits the league into a top half and a bottom half, has started right before the international break.
On Monday night, round two of the top playoff phase concluded with the “match of the season” between Hapoel Be’er Sheva and Maccabi Tel Aviv.
First place hosting second place, a packed Turner Stadium, and a classic matchup between two teams that have met at this stage for the better part of the last decade—culminating in many great title battles and intense matches.
The crowds of both teams set the tone with a great atmosphere at the start of the game.
One was flying high, the other made mistakes that can cost his team a season. Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Osher Davida (on the right) and Hapoel Be’er Sheva’s Helder Lopes fighting on the ball. (Photo courtesy: Hapoel Be’er Sheva)
First Half: Maccabi Tel Aviv have broke the unbreakable
In the 6th minute, Alon Turgeman hit the side netting, confusing part of the crowd into thinking the ball had gone in, but it wasn’t to be. HBS came very close early on.
In the 11th minute, the visitors took the lead—an innocuous long ball from the Maccabi defense was poorly handled by Helder Lopes, who headed it back to Osher Davida. The young winger could not convert, but Wesley Pattati was first to the rebound. 1-0 Yellow and Blue.
Another 10 minutes passed, and again, a Be’er Sheva unforced error created a turning point in the game. Defender Guy Mizrahi, one of their most solid players this season, cleared the ball back but scraped Pattati’s calf on the way. A quick VAR check resulted in the first red card of his career.
Maccabi sensed it was their moment to seize. A free kick in the 31st minute led to the second goal. Pattati, involved in every big moment of the game, crossed directly into Dor Peretz’s path, who headed in the 2-0. Surely, HBS goalkeeper Niv Eliasi could have done better.
In first-half stoppage time, it seemed like the game was over. The Davida-Pattati combo struck again, as Davida ran freely down the right flank and squared the ball for the Brazilian to make it 3-0.
Ran Kozuch, the coach well known for his full-pitch press style, was outclassed in this half by opposing Serbian manager Žarko Lazetič, who exposed his team at every opportunity.
Second Half: Be’er Sheva’s respect is still here
Be’er Sheva has proudly used the term “Unbreakable” to describe the team this year, having come back from very difficult in-game situations. But this hole might be too deep to climb out of.
On the bright side, Hapoel Be’er Sheva has Kings Kangwa. The Zambian international has been nothing short of sensational this season for the Reds. At the start of the second half, he gave the home team a lifeline all by himself—running the length of the pitch before setting up a one-two with Dan Biton and putting it past Simon Sluga with a powerful shot. 3-1.
The goal felt a little like a “game on” signal for the hosts, but Maccabi Tel Aviv managed to slow the game down and quiet the small bursts of momentum from the Camels.
In the end, it was the first-ever victory for an away side in a one-two matchup at the start of the Israeli top-half playoff. A massive 3-1 win for the defending champions in the heart of the desert.
This victory sends Maccabi Tel Aviv to first place, leapfrogging Be’er Sheva and establishing a two-point lead at the top of the league with eight matches to go.
“Even if Be’er Sheva would have won, it would not be over”, Maccabi’s Lazetič, said in the press conference after the game. “Both teams can lose points moving forward, there are tough teams in the playoff - Beitar, the Haifas, Netanya”.
It feels like a big momentum shift going forward, but historically, the team that finished first in the regular season has always gone on to win the title. Can Maccabi Tel Aviv change this statistic? Are Be’er Sheva indeed “breakable”?
Kozuch was asked about the “unbrekable” comment in the post-match interview and if it gave Maccabi the extra motivation. “I say what I believe in. And I still believe this”, he told the press. “Yes, even today - the way we responded in the second half showed some of that. Other teams, 3-0 down vs Maccabi, would not have responded this way
The 2024-25 season might go straight down to the wire, with everything still to play for.
Photo courtesy: Hapoel Be’er Sheva
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