An Eran Zahavi brace at Hapoel Beer Sheva's Vassermill Stadium handed Maccabi Tel Aviv their second consecutive Israel Premier League championship
Nineteen years after former star Alon Brumer headed in Maccabi Tel Aviv's winning goal at the end of the 1994/95 season, the club's championship celebrations returned to Beer Sheva's Vassermill Stadium. After having lost there in their last two outings, Maccabi Tel Aviv last night took all three points to guarantee themselves the 2013/14 Israeli Premier League title, their second league championship in a row.
The newly crowned champions dominated the tie from the kick-off and kept up the pressure on the Hapoel Beer Sheva goal. The pressure paid off in the 12th minute of the match when a clever throw-in by team captain Sheran Yeini caught midfielder Dor Micha running towards goal from the right. The young international's pinpoint pass back into the area fell right into the path of fellow midfielder Eran Zahavi, whose powerful volley sailed past Beer Sheva's Nigerian keeper Augustine Ejide into the net to give the aspiring champion's a 1-0 advantage. Winger Tal Ben Haim, who featured in Maccabi's last victory over Hapoel Beer Sheva at home, had the opportunity to double that advantage with just the keeper to beat but Ejide left his line and blocked the effort. But just after the half hour mark Ben Haim made amends by drawing a foul in the area that resulted in Eran Zahavi scoring his team's second goal from the spot. In part due to an impressive save by keeper Juan Pablo of a long-range strike by Beer Sheva's talented midfielder Maor Buzaglo, Maccabi were still holding on to a 0-2 lead when the half-time whistle blew.
Just after the restart Buzaglo's fellow midfielder Siraj Nasser tried to get his side back into the match but his shot from inside the area sliced just wide of the Maccabi net. At the other end Eran Zahavi missed an excellent opportunity to complete his hat-trick when Ben Haim threaded him through to face the keeper on his own, but his chip over Ejide's head bounced wide of the net. Thereafter the pace of the match slackened, until six minutes from time when Maccabi defender Omri Ben Harush brought down a Beer Sheva attacker in the area and striker Dovev Gabay converted the penalty to close the scoring at 1-2.
The final minutes of the match passed without incident and referee Ro'i Reinschreiber's final whistle meant that with three matches remaining Maccabi Tel Aviv's resultant thirteen point lead at the top of the Israeli Premier League table was now officially unassailable. For the second consecutive season, and for the 21st time in their illustrious history, Maccabi Tel Aviv are the champions!!!
