Maccabi Tel Aviv ended their league season at home losing 0-3 to Bnei Yehuda with goals from Ádám Hrepka, Kfir Edri and Amir Agaiev
In the last matchweek of the 2012/13 Israeli Premier ("Winner") League season, Maccabi Tel Aviv hosted their municipal neighbours Bnei Yehuda with head coach Oscar Garcia sitting out a touchline ban handed out by the Football Association's disciplinary committee and assistant Ruben Martinez taking charge on the pitch.
After just seven minutes Maccabi defender Ignacio Fideleff took advantage of an error by Bnei Yehuda's Nigerian goalkeeper Bamidele Aiyenugba but saw his header cleared off the line for a corner. Five minutes later Maccabi midfielder Gonzalo Garcia faced Aiyenugba on his own but shot right into the keeper's arms. With a quarter of an hour gone it was Bnei Yehuda's turn to take their chances and Hungarian born striker Ádám Hrepka mastered a ball in the area and turned it past keeper Tomer Chencinski into the Maccabi net to put his side ahead 0-1. Two minutes later Lithuanian midfielder Kęstutis Ivaškevičius caught a ball off the Maccabi defence but shot wide of the goal. With 25 minutes gone Maccabi striker Roberto Colautti shot from just outside the area but saw his effort fly over the net. Just before half time Maccabi's Garcia took a pass from striker Gael Margulies but once again shot straight at the keeper.
Ten minutes after the restart it was Garcia once again who took an aerial pass and slammed it accurately towards the goal but, not for the last time on the evening, the Bnei Yehuda keeper came to his team's rescue with an impressive save. On 65 minutes midfielder Eran Zahavi took a ball in the area and passed two defenders before seeing his shot turned away for a corner. Midfielder Mahran Radi, who came on for Gonzalo Garcia in the 62nd minute, also tried his luck from distance but his shot fizzled wide. Maccabi Tel Aviv kept up the pressure on the Bnei Yehuda goal with wave after wave of attack but to no avail, while at the other end Bnei Yehuda substitute midfielder Kfir Edri caught a ball on the break and shot it past keeper Maccabi Chencinski to put his side ahead 0-2 five minutes before time. Bnei Yehuda's third came just before the final whistle as young substitute Amir Agaiev powered home and Maccabi lost their last home game of the season 0-3.
The team will now have a short break until the start of the Champions League qualifiers in July.
