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A goalless draw with Maccabi Haifa leaves Maccabi Tel Aviv's ten point lead at the top of the league table in tact

In what was being billed as the "match of the season", league leaders Maccabi Tel Aviv last night hosted second-placed Maccabi Haifa in the second round of the upper tier play-offs in a match that ended in a goalless draw. Two weeks ago both Maccabi teams won their first play-off matches, Tel Aviv 1-0 against Hapoel Ramat Hasharon and Haifa by a similar score against Bnei Yehuda. Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder Maharan Radi, who sprained his ankle in last week's World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland, failed to pass a fitness test before the match and was replaced by under 21 international Moshe Lugasi. 

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Maccabi Tel Aviv's first good chance came ten minutes into the match when striker Rade Prica headed a high ball provided by midfielder Dor Micha straight into the arms of Maccabi Haifa goalkeeper, Boyan Sharanov. Maccabi Haifa's replay came on 27 minutes but forward Shlomi Azulay's strike was deftly pushed away by Tel Aviv keeper Vincent Enyeama. A minute later Prica once again struck at Haifa's goal, with Maccabi striker Eliran Atar kicking Sharanov's deflection into the net. But the match referee, Alon Yeffet, ruled the goal offside and disallowed it.

 

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As is to be expected in a match with such a top billing, both sides returned to the pitch after the restart to finish the encounter in what proved to be a tactical stand-off. The only action of note was an Eliran Atar free kick in the dying moments of the match that sailed over the Maccabi Haifa net. At the final whistle the scoreboard remained unchanged, sending Maccabi Tel Aviv this coming Wednesday up north to meet reigning champions Ironi Kiryat Shmona in the third play-off round with their ten point lead ahead of Maccabi Haifa in tact.

 

Photographs – Nir Keidar

 

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