Maccabi Haifa blasted Maccabi Bnei Reineh 5-1 this week in Israel Premier League play as both Frantzdy Pierrot and Dean David scored braces on the road to stay in the championship race.
Freddy Vargas stunned the Greens when he slotted home Shlomi Azoulay’s free kick in the second minute, however from that moment on it was Maccabi Haifa as the Greens scored five unanswered goals.
Pierrot drew the visitors even 10 minutes later thanks to heavy pressure from his side while David also scored his first of two in the 14th minute to give the Greens a 2-1 lead. David added his second of the matchup in the 61st minute, which was followed up by a Lior Refaelov strike soon thereafter off a Pierrot assist as he too completed his brace in the 72nd minute to wrap up the big win.
Maccabi Haifa coach comments on the win
“This was an excellent game from us,” Maccabi Haifa coach Messay Dego said following his team’s win. “We did concede an early goal off a set-piece, but we really knew how to respond. We need to put ourselves in the position that we can determine our own fate and this was a very crucial win for us.”
“Up until the 60th minute we saw a Bnei Reineh team that was able to go toe-to-toe with Maccabi Haifa,” Reineh bench boss Sharon Mimer said. “We didn’t see them take control of the game and we were in it. We were trying to see if we would be able to shift the game in our favor, but once we gave up the third goal we fell apart.”
In the Galilee. Maccabi Tel Aviv and Bnei Sakhnin drew 1-1 as each side scored in the second half to split the points.After a goalless first half, the yellow-and-blue struck first as Osher Davida found the back of the goal for a 1-0 lead in the 53rd minute. However, minutes later Milson was issued a red card and reduced Robbie Keane’s squad to 10 men for the balance of the game. With a man advantage, Sakhnin’s Hassan Hilo scored off a corner kick to draw even and earn a split of the points.
“I am very content with the 1-1 draw against the table leaders in Maccabi Tel Aviv,” said Bnei Sakhnin coach Slobodan Drapic. “This is a very young team and one that is new that came together this season. Some games we are winning, others not but we are maturing as a club. You have to be 100% focused for 90+ minutes against a team like Maccabi.”
“They could have scored to make it 2-1,” Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Robbie Keane said. Everything went against us in this game and these could be important points. There’s no doubt that had we not been issued a red card we would have won the game. These games are always difficult.”
Meanwhile, Hapoel Tel Aviv slipped by Maccabi Netanya 1-0 as Omri Altman scored the lone goal of the game in the 36th minute, giving the Reds the three points and the win as they battle against relegation.
“We went through a very tough week,” Hapoel Tel Aviv’s new head coach Salim Tuama began. “I tried to pick up the guys all week long and I barely slept. Nothing is done just yet and I want to make sure the players will battle all the way to the end of the season and I have to tip my cap to them after this win.”
“I believe a draw would have better reflected this game,” Netanya coach Marko Balbul said. “We could have been much better in the last third of the pitch but the ball just didn’t want to go in. We weren’t sharp enough and we paid for that with a loss.”Elsewhere, Hapoel Haifa blanked Hapoel Beersheba 2-0 as the Carmel Reds scored a pair of early goals to wrap up the win and take the points.
Noam Ben Harush opened the scoring in the 10th minute while Guy Melamed headed home the insurance marker just five minutes later.”
“Beersheba is a strong team and had we played any differently we would not have won the game,” Haifa coach Roni Levy began. “The guys here are putting together a fantastic season both on a personal and team level. We knew how to control the ball under pressure and do what we have been working on all year long.”
“This was a strange game and I told the team that this was a very important game but I guess it just wasn’t, that’s the way I felt,” Beersheba bench boss Eliyaniv Barda said. “At the start of the game we were just not working well and were soft. We only focused on playing after we gave up the second goal.”
Also, Hapoel Petah Tikva surprised Hapoel Jerusalem 1-0 as Roi Elimelech scored the decisive goal in the second half to give the hosts the win.
“I told the guys before the game that we had to play for our pride and finish off our time in the Premier League properly,” Petah Tikva coach Benny Lam said as his team has already been relegated to the Leumit League for the next season. “I felt that the players showed a certain responsibility at a very high level. Many players who hadn’t featured in a while received the chance to play and they did a great job.”
At Teddy Stadium, Beitar Jerusalem and Ashdod SC played to a dry goalless draw in the capital city as each team took home a point.
“We controlled the pace of play throughout the game and we could have won,” Beitar Jerusalem head coach Barak Itzahki said. “We have a tough pitch to play on but we will need to find a way to correct this in the future. We have been able to score goals but mostly they have come on the road. This was a tough game.”
“I’m happy with the result,” Ashdod head coach Eli Levi noted. “We have to be happy with each point and the guys played like real men. We are already looking ahead to next week as we have one more point than Hapoel Tel Aviv and that’s really critical for us, especially for the morale of the guys.”
Finally, Maccabi Petah Tikva dropped Hapoel Hadera 4-0 as Anas Mahamid scored a brace to help his squad to the win and the three points.
Mahamid scored a quick pair of goals to give the hosts a 2-0 lead by the 26th minute while Maor Levi added his team’s third marker at the stroke of halftime. Yarden Cohen found the back of the goal late in the second half to close out the win.
“This game got away from us right from the get-go,” Hadera coach Haim Silvas commented. “Everything that doesn’t represent us occurred in this game and I am very disappointed as everything fell apart. The red card was really bad but we have to turn our sights quickly to next week.”
“This wasn’t an easy game for us,” Petah Tikva coach Ron Kozuk said. “I’m happy that the guys really played well and played our game. We pressed high, created chances, but staying up will not be simple.”