Early goals by Munas Dabbur and Mahran Radi put Maccabi 2-0 in front within the first ten minutes against Hapoel Ra'anana at Bloomfield Stadium. Tal Ben Haim added a third in the second half as the home side won 3-1
Maccabi Tel Aviv tonight hosted Israel Premier League newcomers Hapoel Ra'anana in matchweek 11 at Bloomfield Stadium and the return home was clearly just what the doctor ordered. Before the second hand on the matchclock had time to make full circle, 38 seconds to be exact, Maccabi's young international striker Munas Dabbur had already found the back of the opposition net, heading in a superbly angled cross from winger Tal Ben Haim charging down the left flank, an attack that left Ra'anana keeper Gal Nir stranded in the goalmouth. The yellow blitz continued and six minutes later midfielder Mahran Radi latched on to a blocked effort in the Ra'anana area and fired a shot that took a deflection off a defender and sailed into the net. With the match yet to reach the ten minute mark, Maccabi were already 2-0 up. The home side continued to press and halfway through the period striker Rade Price rose for a cross into the area and headed directly at goal, but this time Nir got his fingers to it at a stretch. The Ra'anana keeper also parried a second effort by Maharan Radi, delivered at full force near the half hour mark. The remaining quarter of an hour of the first half saw the pace slacken a bit and when the whistle blew the scoreline still stood at two goals in Maccabi's favour.
After the restart the match became a more balanced affair but twenty minutes into the second half Munas Dabbur returned Tal Ben Haim's early favour by threading him a perfectly weighted pass through the Ra'anana area defence, which the winger elegantly fired past Gal Nir to increase Maccabi's lead to 3-0. Two minutes later Ben Haim crossed to Dor Micha, who came off the bench on the hour mark to make his first appearance after injury kept him sidelined for six weeks. But the young midfielder's finish in front of goal missed its mark and it was left to the visitors to score the match's final goal. Seventeen minutes from time a quick Ra'anana counter attack left Senegalese striker Chiam Mamadou Toure free on the right side of the area to fire a lovely cross from fellow Nigerian striker Anthony Nwakaeme past Maccabi keeper Juan Carlos. But further efforts by either side to affect the scoreline remained unrewarded and at the final whistle the result stood at 3-1 for Maccabi Tel Aviv.
In matchweek 12 Maccabi Tel Aviv will head to the nation's capital to face Beitar Jerusalem.
