Maccabi is the only Israeli club to have featured in the top flight during all of the 71 seasons since the State of Israel was founded. Sektzia Ness Ziona on the other hand featured only in 3 seasons (1949/50, 1966/68 and 2019/20). In its’ first season of top flight football they appeared as Maccabi Ness Ziona before all the teams in the city were united and carried the team Sektzia ever since.
In all of the three seasons Ness Ziona featured in the top flight, Maccabi ended up winning the league title.
Maccabi are unbeaten in all of the 8 matches it played Ness Ziona in the league – winning 6 and drawing 2 with a goal tally of 21-7.
Both clubs played each other 4 more times in the State Cup with Maccabi winning all four with a goal tally of 18-3.
Four players featured for both clubs: Shiye Glazer, Avraham Stamberg, Omri Ben Harush and Or Roizman.
Stamberg played for Ness Ziona in the 60’s including during their stint in the top flight (66/68) and joined Maccabi ahead of the 1969/70 season. As a midfielder, Stamberg made 142 Maccabi appearances in all competitions winning 2 league titles during his six seasons at the club.
Shiye Glazer, one of Maccabi’s greatest players scored 171 goals in 256 appearances between 1945-1963. He stepped down to the second division and played for Hapoel Kfar Sava, Beitar Netanya, Beitar Jerusalem and towards the end of his playing career played for Ness Ziona in the top flight during the the 1966/68 back-to-back season.
Maccabi’s record in the 311 league matches against newly promoted sides is 185 matches won, 80 draws and 46 defeats with a total goal tally of 559-255.
Ness Ziona’s goal against Maccabi at Bloomfield stadium in the 2019/20 season, ended Daniel Tenenbaum’s unbeaten run in goal which lasted from the opening day to the 14 league round.
Maccabi’s highest victory against a newly promoted side was a 7-0 victory over Beitar Tel Aviv during 1969/70 season. Shalom Shikva (4), Giyora Spiegel, Nissim Bachar and Dror Bar Nur scored Maccabi’s goals.
This season Maccabi began the 2022/23 league campaign in emphatic style as Vladimir Ivic’s side have a 100% record winning all 5 home matches.
Maccabi’s class of 2022 is the 32nd team in Israel’s history to reach that record as another victory will make Maccabi the 18th team in history to begin a season with 6 home defeats.
