Maccabi Tel Aviv failed to leave Teddy stadium with three points last night, but in terms of their defensive record – Vladimir Ivic’s charges continue to reach new heights.
The stalemate against Beitar Jerusalem was the 24th match in 29 league matches during which Maccabi Tel Aviv managed to keep a clean sheet. By reaching this landmark Maccabi improved the Israeli record which they set earlier this season on the number of matches without conceding in one season.
Just to note, that Maccabi has so far conceded only 7 league goals, as a swift calculation suggests the Yellows concede a goal every 373 minutes. In other words: conceding a goal in just over four matches.
The question begging to be asked is how unique is Maccabi’s record compared to other defenses worldwide? The answer through monitoring the various leagues across the globe, you will struggle to find defenses with better records than the Israeli reigning champions.
In fact, from the active leagues which held more than 10 league rounds or more and were not cancelled due to the Covid19 pandemic (or from those that have yet to be restarted) Maccabi’s defensive record is the third best in the world! Maccabi conceded this season an average of 0.241 goals per game and are only behind Aruban side RCA that conceded an average of 0.091 goals, and Egyptian giants Al Ahly that conceded an average of 0.235 goals per game.
As opposed to those two clubs Maccabi played the largest number of matches (29) while RCA played only 11 (conceded once) while Al Ahly conceded 4 goals in 17 matches. Both in Egypt and Aruba the domestic leagues were stopped at the beginning of March and have yet to be restarted.
Which other teams are behind Vladimir Ivic’s players? Here is a list of the 10 defenses with the best defensive records in the world: Belarussian side Shakhtyor Soligorsk (0.250), Otoho d’Oyo of Congo (0.273), Czech outfit Slavia Prague (0.286), Waa Banjul Football of Gambia (0.286), Ashanti GB of Guinea (0.308), Tunisian side Club Africain (0.312) and Argentine giants Boca Juniors (0.348).
