Beitar Jerusalem slipped by Hapoel Tel Aviv 1-0 in mid-week Israel Premier League action as Johnbosco Kalu’s first-half goal held up against a 10-man Reds team that saw El Yam Kancepolsky sent off for a reckless tackle.
The rough-and-tumble win kept the yellow-and-black in first place by a point over Hapoel Beersheba, while Hapoel fell for the first time this season at Bloomfield Stadium.
Beitar coach Barak Itzhaki spoke about the victory.
“We were in control of the game before the red card, and after it, but in the second half, Hapoel really played well and created plenty of chances. You can see why they haven’t lost this season at home until now. This was a huge win for us and very important. It may not have been the most beautiful win, but it’s a win, and we took the points.”
Hapoel coach Elyaniv Barda reflected on the loss:
“I don’t think that the red card really made a difference, as we were stronger and had more chances in the second half. We were able to pressure Beitar, and we created chances, but you also have to score. This was a very good game from us, but we gave up a goal on a turnover, and that was that. It’s very disappointing that we lost at home and we wanted to do something special, but it’s not the end of the world.”
In this tough run, you need spirit.
Kalu, the lone scorer, also looked back at the win:
“I know this was a great feeling, the fans have supported us from the beginning, and it’s a good feeling to score the goal. Everything comes from playing week after week, and the coach believes in me. To win the championship, there are still a lot of games ahead, and it’s not the end of the season. Every game from now is a final for us. We will keep playing tough.”
Tel Aviv’s Stav Turiel spoke about the defeat.
“It’s disappointing, but we also showed a lot of character after the red card. We did what we could, and hopefully we will start up a new streak. It was tough to see Gadrani save the ball off of the line, but we will continue on.”
Up north, Hapoel Beersheba slipped past Maccabi Haifa 1-0 as Javon East headed home the winning goal off a corner kick in the 90th minute to take the three points and the stunning victory at Sammy Ofer Stadium to keep pace with Beitar Jerusalem.
Beersheba coach Ron Kozuk spoke about the dramatic win.
“First of all, this was not a good game from us, actually a really poor one, but in this tough run of matches against a number of excellent opponents, you need spirit. There were doubts from outsiders about our spirit; we never had any doubts. But this is a victory of spirit and heart.”
Haifa bench boss Barak Bachar, who was suspended for the match, summed up the loss.
“We had a lot of young players who gave everything in this game, and I think they were very good. We deserved at least a draw here, but that’s football. We’ll still see these young players again in the next few games, as there are five more matches left that are important for the other teams, and we showed here that we’re a team that knows how to play. We created chances, but we weren’t sharp enough and were unlucky in the end.”
Also, Maccabi Tel Aviv overwhelmed Hapoel Petah Tikva 4-0 as Tyrese Asante scored a brace with a goal in both halves to take the points.
Under interim coach Kenny Miller, who took over for Ronny Deila, the yellow-and-blue looked to get on the board early, and that’s exactly what Dor Peretz did when he headed home an Emir Sahiti ball just two minutes into the match for a 1-0 lead.
Asante scored his first of two, with this one coming from the top of the box, as the game went into first-half stoppage time with Maccabi holding a 2-0 advantage. Asante nodded in, and Ido Shachar's corner kick to give Miller’s side a 3-0 lead, while Elad Madmon pounded a Roy Revivo pass into the net to polish off a lopsided victory.
Miller summed up the win from Tel Aviv’s perspective.
“It was a good performance from the start. We kept the tempo, a strong display, and we scored the second goal at the right time. That allowed us to be patient and not chase the game. But the second half was excellent, we finished very strongly, and could have scored many more. We controlled the game and were very dominant in the second half.”
Regarding the situation around the team with Deila taking a break after a sexual assault scandal, Miller said: “These were 48 difficult hours. We could have come unprepared with the wrong energy, but this team is top. You saw how, after a goal, Dor Peretz takes the ball to the center circle and wants more. I’m proud of the players.”
Petah Tikva coach Omer Peretz concluded: “It’s very tough. We feel like we’re in a boxing match after every game. There wasn’t a real fight here, and it’s hard for us to carry these games, both in terms of energy and physically. I apologize to the fans for this performance.
“There’s a price to our good season; we’re exhausted. We’ll come to Beersheba with all our strength and won’t make it easy.”