Maccabi Tel Aviv suffered only their second league defeat of the season at the hands of Ironi Kiryat Shmona, courtesy of a brace by Barak Badash and a third by Mindaugas Panka. Eran Zahavi pulled one back for the visitors shortly before time
Last night, Maccabi Tel Aviv lost in the league for only the second time this season after they were defeated 3-1 away by former champions Ironi Kiryat Shmona. The hosts took the lead with less than five minutes on the clock, courtesy of a goal by striker Barak Badash, and doubled their advantage twenty minutes later after a calm finish by Lithuanian midfielder Mindaugas Panka. The visitors made numerous efforts to get back into the match, particularly in the second half, but a second goal by Badash on 69 minutes effectively put the match to bed. Four minutes from time midfielder Eran Zahavi managed to pull one back for Maccabi but that was as far as it went and the 3-1 scoreline at full time meant the reigning champions had lost only their second league match since the start of the 2013/14 season.
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With the game only five minutes from kick-off, an errant back pass by Maccabi midfielder Nikola Mitrovic fell into the path of Kiryat Shmona striker Barak Badash, who elegantly shot the ball over the head of the onrushing Maccabi keeper Juan Pablo into the net to give the home side an early 1-0 advantage. The visitors made swift attempts to recover from the unanticipated concession and ten minutes later striker Rade Prica escaped his defender and passed on to Tal Ben Haaim, but the winger's shot from the left flew high over the net. Despite further failed efforts by Prica and midfielder Mahran Radi, Maccabi posed little threat to the Kiryat Shmona goal and just past the twenty minute mark the home side doubled their advantage. After collecting down the left flank, striker Ahmed Abad crossed past the entire Maccabi defence to an unmarked Mindaugas Panka on the right side of the area, who calmly sliced the ball past Juan Pablo. Maccabi's first significant assault on former Maccabi keeper Guy Haimov's goal came just two minutes from the break when defender Eytan Tibi found himself in space just outside the area and let fly with a powerful shot that Haimov only just managed to deflect for a corner.
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At the restart, in an attempt to break down the firm hold of the Kiryat Shmona defence in their own half, Maccabi head coach Paulo Sousa introduced young midfielder Dor Micha for Tal Ben Haim and five minutes in a long ball by Nikola Mitrovic reached Eran Zahavi in the area but his effort from a difficult angle landed firmly in the hands of Haimov. Ten minutes later Sousa further expanded the Maccabi attack by sending on young striker Munas Dabbur for defender Yoav Ziv, but minutes later it was again the home side who found the net first. A set-piece free kick taken down the left was returned to the area by Kiryat Shmona's African striker Daviv Manga and in the ensuing scramble in front of goal Barak Badash slashed the ball high into the Maccabi net for his second goal of the night and Kiryat Shmona's third.
In the final twenty minutes Maccabi rarely got themselves into scoring positions until just under five minutes from time, when a Munas Dabbur cross was headed in by Eran Zahavi, his eleventh goal of the season. Too little too late though and this 3-1 defeat, only their second in the league this season, means Maccabi failed to widen their margin over second-placed Hapoel Beer Sheva, who remain three points behind them in the Israeli Premier League table. The team will attempt to make amends when they host Ashdod FC at Bloomfield Stadium this coming Saturday. A week later they'll play away to Ironi Ramat Hasharon, but they'll have to do without the services of striker Barak Yitzhaki, who picked up his fifth yellow card for a foul committed just before half time.
