Tal Ben Haim's curling winner gives bragging rights to Maccabi, and new head coach Pako Ayestaran, in the season's first derby
Six weeks after the official opening of the 2014/15 season, Maccabi Tel Aviv finally played their first match at Bloomfield Stadium. This was also the debut of new head coach Pako Ayestaran on the touch-line as Tel Aviv's yellow half were hosted by the city's red half, Hapoel Tel Aviv in the final encounter in group 2 of the "Toto" (League) Cup group stage. With superior results to two other group 2 members, Hapoel Ra'anana and Maccabi Netanya, Maccabi had already guaranteed their place in the quarterfinals of the competition, which will commence this coming Saturday. But a derby is still a derby and Maccabi fans flocked in large numbers to see their team face off against their traditional municipal archrivals. And by the end of the match they had plenty to smile about: Tal Ben Haim's second-half winner proved to be the decisive goal in a pacey encounter replete with chances at both ends of the pitch.
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Maccabi started the match brightly and with just eight minutes gone striker Eden Ben Basat was presented with the game's first scoring opportunity, a shot that was deflected away from the goal. At the other end, Maccabi's young international keeper Barak Levi did well to stop a powerful long-range effort from Hapoel's Dutch defender Jurgen Colin. Ben Basat also had a hand in Maccabi's second opening, after drawing Hapoel keeper Danny Amos off his line to block his advance on goal. The ball fell to the feet of fellow striker Rade Prica, who faced an open goal, but a Hapoel defender got to his shot first. Hapoel also stayed on the attack but when fullback Lior Levi was threaded through on goal, Barak Levi was there once again to push the effort to safety. Each side had one more chance before the half, with both Hapoel's on-loan striker Shoval Gozlan and Maccabi's veteran midfielder Mahran Radi missing the target.
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With Maccabi's two forwards being substituted at the break, the early moments of the second half belonged to Maccabi midfielder Eran Zahavi, pushed forward into a more attacking role. Five minutes after the restart captain Sheran Yeini found him with an arrowed pass onside ahead of his markers but Zahavi's finish from a difficult angle hit the woodwork. Two minutes later, with just the onrushing keeper to beat, Zahavi's looped effort missed the net by a whisker. The Maccabi goal was not long in coming, though not from Zahavi. Three minutes later Mahran Radi found Tal Ben Haim wide on the right and after transferring the ball to his left foot, the winger curled a beautiful shot from the edge of the area past an outstretched Danny Amos into the far corner of the net to put Maccabi in front 0-1. Immediately thereafter the Hapoel keeper was sent off for pushing Maccabi defender Yoav Ziv during the goal celebrations, with Ziv himself being rewarded with a yellow card for his excess of exuberance. Fifteen minutes from time Barak Levi once again came to his side's aid when he dove to his right to stop a good effort by Hapoel midfielder Yisrael Zaguri, who had found space down the left and let fly with a shot aimed at the near post. The last two chances of the match feel to Maccabi's substitute striker Gael Margulies and Hapoel's veteran midfielder Gil Vermouth, but neither could find the net handing Maccabi this season's first derby bragging rights with a 0-1 victory.
