Maccabi Tel Aviv fans awoke this morning with big smiles after their beloved team booked an impressive 4-2 Europa League victory last night over Budesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt that kept them second in Group F with seven points, three points ahead of nearest rivals Apoel Nicosia, who beat Bordeaux 2-1 at home.
After the match Maccabi head coach Paulo Sousa had this to say: "Eintracht Frankfurt are a very strong and physical side, accustomed to playing fast-paced and intensive football, that's why it was difficult for us to contain them throughout the entire 90 minutes. That's why I am so proud of my players who so completely deserved the victory they achieved tonight and I hope it will energise them to provide the club with many more historic moments like the one we saw tonight".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-LNYYsxIH4&feature=c4-overview&list=UU-oWQqnf8B8a_TsmVi0mTUg
One of the players who contributed a brace to the Maccabi victory, striker Barak Itzhaki, said: "This was a good result, we heard the news from Nicosia but our progress is in our own hands now. We still have two difficult matches ahead in Nicosia and at home to Bordeaux but I'm sure that if we play the way we did tonight, with this level of concentration and commitment, the end of the campaign will be all smiles".
The other brace scorer, midfielder Eran Zahavi, said: "We made this an amazing night, we owe so much to our fans for it. We believed in ourselves from the very start and truly, our performance in the first half was football at our best. In the second half we began to feel the effects of the Beer Sheva match on Monday and we tired a bit, at this high level it's so important to get back up on your feet and I'm glad we were able to put that all behind us and win the match".
Maccabi midfielder Dan Einbinder added: "It's fantastic to be a part of what happened out there on the pitch tonight. We're so glad we were able to pull our game up a notch and get this result which is so important for us in the road ahead, and even more so to our fans who urged us on and supported us. This victory belongs to them as well".
