Maccabi's Under-19s open the second half of the season on the wrong foot with a 0-1 loss to Beitar Tubruk from a goal with just one minute gone
Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar" finished the first half of the national Under-19 Premiere League season in good form, albeit with a feeling of missed opportunity in the very last matchweek when they conceded a dramatic injury-time equaliser to Maccabi Haifa. In the hope of leaving that disappointment behind them, "Shachar" began the second half of their season on Saturday in Netanya with an away tie against Beitar Tubruk, whom they hosted in the season opener at Kiryat Shalom and defeated 3-1 courtesy of goals from Dor Jan, Daniel Gretz and Dor Peretz.
"Shachar" arrived at their match against Tubruk placed third in the table, equal on points with their second-placed rivals Ironi Kiryat Shmona and eight points behind league leaders Maccabi Haifa. But today there was no cause for smiles on the faces of Amir Turgeman's charges as they conceded an early first-minute goal off the boot of Tubruk's Shachar Keller. Throughout the first half the lads in yellow and blue worked hard to get back into the match but somehow they couldn't find the net. In the second half Maccabi went into attack with the quartet that has scored 16 of the 25 Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar" goals this season: Guy Cohen, Sharon Zisso, Guy Aviv and Dor Jan. But still the net evaded them, even after Amir Turgeman had sent on substitutes in an effort to bring some fresh legs onto the pitch. In the end the hosts managed to hang on to their one-goal advantage until the final whistle, with Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar" finding themselves on the wrong end of what has become their most popular result this season, 1-0. Amir Turgeman's lads thus suffered their second away loss of the season and their first since an identical scoreline brought them defeat against Bnei Yehuda in round 11.
Next week will see Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar" hosting Hapoel Kfar Saba in an attempt to halt their winless run at three matches.
Line-up: Gal Tubali, Dean Akafi, Daniel Schwartzbaum, Shaun Goldberg, Shachar Feban, Dor Buzaglo, Yarden Pinto, Guy Cohen, Sharon Ziso, Guy Aviv, Dor Jan
