An easy derby win for Maccabi's U19s leaves them the only team in the U19 Premier League with a perfect record
After the club's Under-17s breezed past their derby opponents 0-3 in the opening match, Maccabi Tel Aviv's Under-19s did them one better by defeating Hapoel Tel Aviv 0-4 on a very special evening at Bloomfield Stadium. After having won their first three matches, Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar" were looking to extend this early season run of form to four consecutive victories in the national U19 Premier League, and what better way to do so than against their municipal archrivals at the senior team venue, under the watchful eye of senior team head coach Pako Ayesteran.
Head coach Ziv Arie's lads dominated the match from kick-off and with twelve minutes gone striker Raz Yitzhak narrowly missed with a header off a long ball from midfielder Matan Hozez. Six minutes later midfielder Eliel Peretz turned on a ball in the area but saw his effort pushed away by a leaping Hapoel keeper Omer Hanin. On 26 minutes the Maccabi pressure finally paid dividends when a double pass between Peretz and striker Yonatan Cohen set up the latter on the edge of the area to strike neatly past Hanin for his third goal of the season. Just before the half Peretz would have a second go on his own but again Hanin made the save, this time at full stretch.
Five minutes after the restart, Cohen completed his second brace in as many matches. It began when midfielder Sohil Armeli dispossessed a Hapoel defender to the right of goal and passed back to Dan Glazer. The team captain then passed on to Cohen at the edge of the area and his shot slammed in off the post. Minutes later Glazer himself came close to scoring but Maccabi's third came courtesy of a brilliant strike by substitute striker Stav Ben Aharon, who penetrated to within striking distance unmarked and let fly with an unstoppable effort. "Shachar"'s fourth came fifteen minutes from time when Armeli scored his fourth goal in as many matches, heading in off a looped pass back into the area by striker Mavis Chibote.
This 0-4 victory leaves Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar" the only club in the national U19 Premier League with four wins in four matches and hands them the top spot in the table with a goal difference of 15 goals scored to only one conceded. In matchday 5 on October 18th "Shachar" will host Ashdod FC at the Kiryat Shalom training ground.
