BREAKING NEWS

Soccer: Beersheba back level with Maccabi Tel Aviv

Hapoel Beersheba moved tied on points with Maccabi Tel Aviv at the top of the Premier League standings on Saturday night, beating Bnei Sakhnin 1-0 to make the most of the yellow-and-blue’s goalless deadlock at Hapoel Kfar Saba.
Maharan Radi scored the only goal of the match for Beersheba at Doha Stadium, heading the ball into the top left corner in the 44th minute, with Maor Melikson providing the decisive pass after a nifty team move.
Beersheba kept its fifth straight clean sheet on the way to its seventh victory from the past eight games.
“We should have made this game easier,” said Beersheba coach Barak Bachar, who signed a one-year contract extension last week. “We totally controlled the match and reached many chances but failed to convert them. This was the type of match which you end in a 1-1 draw and wonder all week how you didn’t win. Fortunately for us, we did.”
Maccabi Tel Aviv saw its four-match winning streak come to an end at Levita Stadium in Kfar Saba. The three-time defending champion had its chances, but Kfar Saba goalkeeper Ohad Cohen ensured the match finished in a 0-0 draw with some excellent saves, meaning Maccabi only leads Beersheba by virtue of its slightly superior goal difference (+16 to +15).
“My team played a good game and had many chances but couldn’t score,” said Maccabi coach Slavisa Jokanovic. “We played well enough but didn’t score the goal. We played how I had wanted the team to play and we had great pace. We deserved the three points but this is football.”