First half goals from Eran Zahavi, Tal Ben Haim and Munas Dabbur, his first of the season, were all Maccabi Tel Aviv needed to put Ironi Kiryat Shmona on the ropes and maintain their place at the top of the Israeli Premier League table
Maccabi Tel Aviv this evening beat Ironi Kiryat Shmona 3-0 at Bloomfield Stadium in the fourth matchweek of the Israeli Premier League. The deed was done and dusted before the referee's half-time whistle, with goals from midfielder Eran Zahavi and strikers Munas Dabbur and Tal Ben Haim. Dabbur, scoring his first goal of the 2013/14 season, had the best of the chances but in all but one he was seen off by ex-teammate Guy Haimov, who stood in the opposition goal after making his summer move to Kiryat Shmona. In light of the commanding first-half Maccabi lead, the second half proved just for the record as both goalkeepers experienced a quiet 45 minutes. In fact, Maccabi's Spanish keeper Juan Pablo was hardly troubled throughout the match altogether as he recorded his fourth consecutive clean sheet in league play. Just as in the past two seasons, Maccabi Tel Aviv have opened the 2013/14 Premier League with four impressive victories in as many matches.
Curiously, the first real chance of the match fell to the guests. With the game in its infancy, Kiryat Shmona's Central African Republic striker David Manga collected a ball behind the Maccabi defence but his shot from inside the area flew high over the net. From that moment on, however, the match was decidedly one-sided. With just eight minutes on the match clock, Maccabi's Munas Dabbur was fouled 25 metres from the goal and Eran Zahavi curled a superb free kick into the upper right-hand corner of Haimov's net to put the home side in front. Maccabi continued to up the tempo and thirteen minutes later an exquisite counter attack resulted in Moanes Dabbur's maiden goal of the season. Eran Zahavi sent a long ball into Tal Ben Haim, who worked his way into the area before laying off to Dabbur who shot past Haimov to double the home-side advantage. Before the half finished Dabbur, Zahavi and midfielder Dor Micha all tried their luck, but in the end it was Tal Ben Haim who found the net. After exchanging passes with Dor Micha, the striker received a back-heel from his young teammate and slammed the ball into the back of the net to make it 3-0. A glorious first half for the home side.
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With such a secure first-half lead, Maccabi could afford to lower the tempo after the restart, perhaps with this coming Thursday's Europa League tie against Bordeaux entering into the calculation. Head coach Paulo Sousa made some early second-half substitutions to give some rest to Eran Zahavi and Tal Ben Haim (and later Munas Dabbur), who left the pitch to the thunderous applause of the 12,761 Maccabi supporters who filled the Bloomfield Stadium terraces. They were replaced by midfielder Maharan Radi and strikers Gael Margulies and Rade Prica, but it was Dor Micha and ex-Kiryat Shmona midfielder Dan Einbinder, both playing the full 90 minutes, who posed the greatest threats in the second half. In the dying moments Rade Prica let one fly from the edge of the area, but Haimov was there to collect it leaving the final result at 3-0. For Maccabi it was yet another clean sheet and, no less important, three more points that keep them atop of the Israeli Premier League table, where they will remain for another week pending the outcome of Monday night's encounter between Hapoel Beer Sheva and Bnei Yehuda. On Tuesday the squad will head off to France ahead of their second Europa League group stage tie on Thursday evening against FC Girondins de Bordeaux. In matchweek five of the Israeli Premier League, Maccabi will head south to the port city of Ashdod to face Ashod FC at their Yud-Alef Stadium.
