Two second-half goals by Mavis Tchibota and Matan Hozez handed Maccabi's U19s victory over Maccabi Haifa and returned them to the top of the U19 Premier League
Today Maccabi Tel Aviv's Under-19s went into their title contender's clash with Maccabi Haifa two points behind the league leaders, but after 94 hard-fought minutes at the Kiryat Shalom training ground the two clubs traded places as Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar" beat their northern namesakes 2-1. Both sides came into the match on the back of disappointing losses in last week's league fixtures, but it was "Shachar" who demonstrated greater resilience in returning to form. The two second-half goals were scored by substitutes, with forward Mavis Tchibota putting the home side ahead in the 75th minute and young international Matan Hozez doubling their advantage from the spot in injury time. Maccabi Haifa pulled one back in the dying moment of the match but it was Maccabi Tel Aviv that took home all three points to climb back to the summit of the U19 Premier League.
The many hundreds of fans that crowded into Kiryat Shalom or stood peering through perimeter fences waited over twenty minutes from kick-off to see the first real threat on goal, an excellent opportunity for striker Dor Galili fed through by fellow striker Jonatan Cohen but blocked by an alert Maccabi Haifa keeper, Tal Bomstein. Under increasing home-side pressure "Shachar"'s third striker, Raz Yitzhak, saw an effort blocked in a similar fashion. With "Shachar" dominating possession, Maccabi Haifa attacked mostly on the break, one of them finding Shaun Weissman in the goal area with just keeper Sahar Hason to beat. But Hason held his nerve and prevented the Maccabi Haifa international from putting the visitors ahead. The last opportunity of the half was once again the result of collaboration between Cohen and Galili, but this time the result was a shot over the net.
Despite a "Shachar" double substitution at half time, it was Maccabi Haifa who came closest just after the restart, with Shaun Weissman once again responsible for the shot and Sahar Hason for the save. Thereafter Maccabi Tel Aviv returned to dominance, resulting in a goal by the excellent Gabriel Kanikovski ruled out for offside and substitute Matan Hozez rattling the crossbar. But ultimately it was another substitute, young Congolese striker Mavis Tchibota, who broke the ice in the 75th minute after a skillful double-pass with midfielder Sohil Armeli left him in position to chip over the keeper's head into the far post. Later Tchibota shot an opportunity to double "Shachar"'s lead under similar circumstances wide of the net, but in injury time Matan Hozez did the job after being brought down in the area. He stepped up to take his own penalty and coolly gave his side a 2-0 lead. In the match's final moment Maccabi Haifa pulled one back through Raz Meir, but the final result of 2-1 meant three points for Maccabi Tel Aviv and a return to the top of the national U19 Premier League table.
Line-up: Sahar Hason, Shachar Fiban, Dan Glazer, Sean Goldberg, Saar Kalderon, Gabriel Kanikovski, Eliel Peretz, Sohil Armeli, Yonatan Cohen, Dor Galili, Raz Itzhak
In a statement issued by Maccabi Tel Aviv after the match, the club sent this message to those fans who could not be accommodated for seating at the match: "Maccabi Tel Aviv Football Club acted in accordance to instructions by the police regarding match security and the number of spectators anticipated at this U19 contest, broadcast live on television. We advised supporters to arrive as early as possible to Kiryat Shalom due to limited seating at the pitch. We apologise for the fact that we are unable to accommodate the many fans who came to see the match and were unable to get in. The decision to hold the match at Kiryat Shalom was made in large part in order to meet the demands of the broadcaster and make possible the live television coverage. That having been said, the club pledge to draw the appropriate conclusions from the incident and apologise to all our supporters for the resultant unpleasantries".
