With nine players missing on international duty, Dan Glazer and Maor Kandil out injured and Daniel Tenenbaum rested, Maccabi’s coach Georgios Donis gave several players a chance to get precious playing minutes. Fifteen minutes from the start, Dan Biton sent a chip over the defense, Aleksandar Pesic knocked the ball down to Avi Rikan whose initial shot was saved by the advancing Ran Kadoch while his rebound was blocked for a corner.
A counter attack led by Rikan who fed Pesic on the right in the 23rd minute saw the Serb’s square ball across the face of goal cleared by a defender for a corner before Ben Chaim could tap the ball home at the far post.
Ben Musayof replaced Daniel Peretz after the 35 minute half, was tested five minutes after the restart by Keys Ghanem whose shot from the edge of the box was pushed for a corner by the young keeper.
Etey Shechter and Nick Blackman who replaced Aleksandar Pesic and Matan Hozez at the restart combined well on 45 only to see Shechter’s header from Blackman’s cross equaled by the keeper.
Rikan sent a fierce drive which threatened to beat Kadoch at the bottom corner on 51 but the keeper pulled a stunning save.
Four minutes later the deadlock was finally broken as Rotem Yatzkar picked up a ball deep inside Hapoel Haifa’s half, took a few steps forward and launched a left foot shot to deflect off a defender and beat Kadoch to put Maccabi infront.
Mike Mor, Ariel Belson, Afek Sapir Navot and Aner Ushmandi who have all been training with the first team, were all handed a chance to play for the final 7 minutes as they came in for Piven, Glazer, Rikan, Biton and Yatzkar.
Daniel Peretz (Ben Mousayof 36), Shahar Piven (Ariel Belson 63), Amit Glazer (Mike Mor 63), Luis Hernandez (Matan Baltaxa 36), Enric Saborit (Ofir Davidzada 36), Rotem Yatzkar (Aner Ushmandi 63), Avi Rikan (Afek Sapir Navot 63), Dan Biton (Nehorai Biton 63), Tal Ben Chaim (Dor Turgeman 48), Matan Hozez (Nick Blackman 36), Aleksandar Pesic (Etey Shechter 36).
