Maccabi returned home to Bloomfield Stadium last night and registered a 2-0 win over 10-man Hapoel Ra'anana courtesy of second-half goals by Tal Ben Haim and Eran Zahavi
Maccabi Tel Aviv returned home to Bloomfield Stadium last night for their first season 2014/15 home league tie against Hapoel Ra'anana. After having won 4-0 in their first league outing last week, Ra'anana were top of the table going into the match, but in a half of few genuine goalscoring opportunities it was the home side that dominated possession in the early stages of the game. Nonetheless it was the visitors with the first clear chances of taking a lead. On 24 minutes defender Adi Nimni's long ball found Anthony Nwakaeme in the area, but the Nigerian forward headed wide. Three minutes later Zambian defender Emmanuel Mbola found space down the left on the break but sent his shot flying over the net. Maccabi's only real scoring opportunity of the half came just past the half hour mark when midfielder Eran Zahavi got his head to a cross into the area but sent the ball high over Ra'anana keeper Daniel Lifshitz's goal.
Eight minutes after the restart it was again Ra'anana who conjured up the initial threat, again on the break. Mamadou Touré Thiam found himself ahead of the Maccabi defence with only an onrushing Juan Carlos to beat, but the Senegalese forward sliced his effort wide. Maccabi then stepped up the pace and just short of the hour mark Maccabi's Swedish striker Rade Prica headed a cross into the area just beyond the goal mouth. Four minutes later Eran Zahavi got off another shot from inside the area but Lifshitz was there the stop it. On 66 minutes midfielder Dor Micha, who came in off the bench, received a clever ball through and struck hard on the turn from the edge of the area but Lifshitz saved it at a stretch. On 72 minutes Ra'anana were down to ten men when Emmanuel Mbola was sent off for a second bookable offence and just four minutes later the home side took advantage through a handy bit of personal skill by winger Tal Ben Haim. Receiving a pass from midfielder Nicola Mitrovic out left, Ben Haim turned on his marker and from inside the area angled a splendid shot into the far post past the Ra'anana keeper to put his side in front 1-0.Two minutes from time Ra'anana nearly equalised when a poor clearance from inside the area fell to the feet of an unmarked Adi Nimni, but the defender's strong effort went wide of the target. But home crowd nerves were settled in the last minute of injury time when Dor Micha found Eran Zahavi in space inside the area and the star midfielder shot low past the Ra'anana keeper to seal the 2-0 win.
Next Monday Maccabi will head south to play last year's runners-up Hapoel Beer Sheva at 8.50pm at their Wassermill Stadium.
