Maccabi Tel Aviv ended their Austrian training camp with a 3-2 victory over Austrian second tier club FC Liefering. Tomorrow the squad will be returning to Israel
Maccabi Tel Aviv finished the third and final pre-season friendly of their Austrian training camp with a 3-2 victory over FC Liefering from the second tier of the Austrian Football League. The contest against the Austrians was arranged only yesterday after the match against intended rivals German side Energy Cottbus was cancelled following information received by the Austrian authorities that a group of hooligans were organising themselves to attend the match. Maccabi head coach decided to field an entirely different side than started the two previous pre-season friendlies to give to an opportunity to squad members who up till now had seen little time on the pitch. Fresh signing Spanish defender Mane (Jose Manuel Jimenez Ortiz) made his maiden appearance for the club, while the captain's band was handed to young midfielder Dor Micha. Tomer Chencinski started in front of goal, with Maccabi Under-19 keeper Sahar Hasson taking his place on the bench and coming on as a substitute fifteen minutes before time for his first appearance for the senior squad.
After a quarter of an hour of probing by both sides, the Austrians took a first half lead when midfielder Andreas Bammer rounded off a double pass with a straight shot into the net. The early goal brought Maccabi back into the game and just before the half hour mark, after attempts by striker Lanre Kehinde and midfielder Gonzalo Garcia, striker Tal Ben Haim arrived before the opposition defence to pounce on the deflection by the Austrian keeper of his own shot and send it from close range into the lower left hand corner of the net.
After the restart Maccabi head coach sent on midfielder Eran Zahavi and was rewarded for the effort with Zahavi's first pre-season goal ten minutes from time. Defender Yoav Ziv provided him with the ball and Zahavi right-footed it into the net on the near post. Three minutes after Zahavi had put Maccabi ahead, striker Barak Yitschaki sealed the victory with an elegant chip from the corner of the area over the head of the Austrian keeper. In the dying moments of the match the Austrians managed to pull one back, but at the final whistle Maccabi Tel Aviv had recorded their first victory under the stewardship of new head coach Paulo Sousa.
After ten exhausting days of training and three pre-season friendlies, the Maccabi Tel Aviv squad will return home tomorrow and will embark upon preparations for their second round qualifier for the Champions League. 2013/14 season ticket sales go into higher gear during the course of the week when tickets are made available to the general public. Among the many benefits afforded to season ticket holders will be free entrance to the home leg of that second round Champions League qualifier against Hungarian champions, FC Gyori.
