Dahan & Earnshaw Scored To Help MTA To A 2-2 Draw At The First Leg Of The Toto Cup QF
Today, Maccabi Tel Aviv visited Kiryat Eliezer for the first Toto Cup quarter final game against HaPoel Haifa, ending the game with a 2-2 tie score. There weren't many spectators at the game, but those who did not come missed a relaxed game with a good tempo and many goals. The yellow team started out well with a goal by Rafi Dahan, but the hosts overturned the score and went into the break with a 2-1 advantage. Robert Earnshaw tied the score at the beginning of the second half, setting the final score and keeping the identity of the semifinalist unknown toward the Second Leg in Bloomfield.
Oscar Garcia let a few players on the squad relax, such as Sheran Yeini and Eliran Atar, giving the lineup jersey to Rafi Dahan for the first time since early October in Be'er Sheva. Within the yellow team's good opening, it was Dahan to score and celebrate his first goal of the season. Within just 7 minutes, the hosts overturned the score and gained a 2-1 advantage. First it was Ilan Rankevitz who scored from the penalty point and then Oshri Roash made the second with an air kick after a corner ball. Later in the half, the tempo declined and, except for a good opportunity for Radi on the yellow team and Hassan Seif on HaPoel Haifa, there was no real threat to any of the goals.
The second half opened up like the first, with the yellow team scoring a fast goal. This time, it was Robert Earnshaw who scored his second goal of the season with a strong close range kick that overpowered Kale in HaPoel Haifa's goal. Another player who almost scored his first goal in yellow uniform was Hassan Abu Zaid, with a dangerous kick from the air, which was thrust away by Kale. After several good minutes by Maccabi Tel Aviv, the game once again settled down, just as in the first half and both teams demonstrated inaccuracy in the front line. The coaches took advantage of the substitution quotas allowed in Toto Cup games, but even the substitutes failed to score, leaving the final score at 2-2.
Two away games by the yellow team give them a slight advantage toward the rebuttal game in Bloomfield on Wednesday in two weeks (11 December), but their spot in the semifinals is far from guaranteed. Before the game against HaPoel Haifa, Maccabi Tel Aviv has two league games to complete – the first one being this Saturday (17:00) against Bnei Sachnin at Bloomfield.
