Hapoel Tel Aviv, Maccabi Haifa, Beersheba secure wins

Hapoel Tel Aviv defeated Hapoel Jerusalem 3-1 as Stav Turiel scored a first-half brace to lead the Reds to all three points in Israel Premier League action.

After nearly 45 minutes of scoreless soccer, Hapoel Tel Aviv broke through when Turiel converted a penalty after Loizos Loizou was pulled down in the box. Turiel doubled the advantage before halftime when Marcus Coco’s throw-in was headed by Andrian Kraev into his path, and he nodded the ball past the Jerusalem ’keeper for a 2-0 lead at the break.

Marko Rakonjac cut the deficit with a powerful finish past Asaf Tzur, but Emmanuel Boateng scored his first goal for the hosts to restore the two-goal cushion and seal the win.

Hapoel Tel Aviv head coach Elyaniv Barda said: “We could have decided the match earlier as we scored two goals that opened up the game. We controlled it, moved the ball around, weren’t patient enough and played long balls too early and still we scored two beautiful goals. In the second half we conceded from a set piece to make it 2-1, which put us under a bit of pressure, but with the crowd pushing us on, Friday afternoon, 25,000 fans, that’s the football experience. It’s a great pleasure and a huge privilege to coach here.”

Hapoel Jerusalem coach Ziv Arie added: “The game was going in the direction we wanted, but we conceded two quick goals that disrupted it. We managed to come back, but it’s a loss and we move on. We didn’t create too many chances. We’ll move on to the next match.”

Meanwhile, Hapoel Beersheba edged Ashdod SC 2-1 to remain in first place.

Guy Mizrachi gave the Southern Reds a 1-0 lead in the seventh minute, but Eugene Ansah equalized less than 10 minutes later. Kings Kangwa scored the winner in the second half, intercepting a poor clearance, dribbling forward and blasting the ball into the net.

Beersheba coach Ron Kozuk said: “We spoke about how tough this match was going to be and we weren’t able to do what we had wanted to in this game. It’s not easy to win at this stadium and so many teams have lost points here, so we aren’t taking it for granted. There is a hunger in this team because of what we were able to achieve last season when we came up short in the championship race.”

Ashdod coach Avi Avinu lamented the loss.

“We are very disappointed because we had so many chances against a team like Beersheba and we weren’t able to take advantage of them. We moved the ball well and we had a very good game plan which we worked on all week long. It’s disappointing to come up short and now we have to move on.”

Former hostage honored at by Beitar, Maccabi

Also, Beitar Jerusalem and Maccabi Tel Aviv played to a 0-0 draw.

Beitar controlled much of the match but failed to convert its chances. The result leaves Beitar six points behind leader Beersheba while Maccabi Tel Aviv sits in fourth place behind Hapoel Tel Aviv.

Before kickoff, former hostage Elkana Bohbot, who was held by Hamas in Gaza for 738 days, was honored on the pitch.

“Standing here today is a moment that brings me back home,” Bohbot said. “I grew up in Jerusalem, on its streets and with the intensity that exists here. I remember myself as a child coming to the games. I grew up in the stands and I would ask my father to buy me an Eli Ohana jersey, whom I still admire to this day. Beitar Jerusalem for me is part of my heart, part of my identity, it’s beyond love.”

After the match, Beitar coach Barak Itzhaki said: “We are disappointed not to take the three points. We were the better team by far than Maccabi Tel Aviv. It’s too bad and it’s disappointing and now we have to look ahead. Maccabi is a very strong team and we were able to really play our game and we created chances, which gives me a lot of positives to look at. We’ve played well the last couple of games and we also changed the way we played to adapt to the clash at hand.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv coach Ronny Deila said: “I’m not satisfied and we needed to match the intensity and we didn’t do that. This was a good test and it gave us a lot of answers. This was the most difficult game that I’ve had since coming to Maccabi. The question is what we can learn from this result, but I’m happy with the point.”

Maccabi Haifa defeated Bnei Sakhnin 4-0, with Manuel Benson assisting twice.

Lisav Eissat headed home a Benson corner in the fifth minute, and Cedric Don added a second goal 15 minutes later. Michael Ohana scored before halftime, and Guy Melamed completed the rout in the second half.

Haifa coach Barak Bachar said: “We deserve to smile after this game and following a tough game last week. We scored an early goal, which helped us, and from there the game flowed as the attacks kept coming, plus the crowd enjoyed it. We’re constantly pushing for more even when we’re leading.”

Hapoel Haifa edged Hapoel Petah Tikva 1-0 thanks to a 17th-minute goal by Alon Turgeman, who recently returned for his third stint with the Carmel Reds.

Haifa coach Haim Silvas said: “It’s a very sweet victory. We came up against a team in good form and it was clear we’d have to raise our level. It definitely wasn’t going to be a brilliant game, but rather one where teamwork and determination would come into play.”

Kiryat Shmona and Ironi Tiberias drew 2-2.

Nemanja Ljubisavljevic scored early for Kiryat Shmona, but Guy Hadida equalized with a long-range strike. Yair Mordechai restored the lead from the penalty spot before halftime, and Stanislav Bilenkyi leveled the score in the second half.

Finally, Maccabi Netanya defeated Maccabi Bnei Reineh 4-0, scoring all four goals in the first half.

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