The U17 top-of-table contest against Maccabi Haifa ended in a goalless draw. All other Maccabi Youth Division teams recorded wins
Yesterday Maccabi's Under-19s beat Hapoel Ra'anana 5-0 and opened the way for yet another successful Saturday at the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Division. The Under-17s faced the greatest challenge of all, in the form of title rivals Maccabi Haifa, with the two teams jostling on their own all season for the top spot in the U17 Premier League table, and with alternating success. This gameweek 23 encounter found Maccabi Tel Aviv "Oded" two points off the pace, but with a game in hand. Head coach Eliezer Ben Aharon's U17s had hoped to regain the top spot before playing that make-up tie against Nesher FC, now scheduled for next Saturday, but it was not to be. The two best attacks in the league struggled to find the net against the two best defences and the match finished in a goalless draw.
For the Maccabi Youth Division though, the U17 stalemate proved to be the only draw on the day. The club's Under-16s, already occupying the top spot in their league, held on to that position with an impressive 6-1 home win against Hapoel Rishon Lezion. Natanel Peretz bagged a hat-trick, Eden Agami a brace and Ofek Blass added an individual effort to the Maccabi Tel Aviv "Eli Fuchs" rout.
Maccabi's Under-15 Team 1 also maintained top spot in the league, turning a three-point advantage into an eight-point one. Head coach Eyal Tzachi's lads beat municipal neighbours Bnei Yehuda 1-2 courtesy of two goals by Tal Daon and took advantage of second-placed Beitar Jerusalem's defeat on Saturday to widen their margin at the top. Head coach Erez Belfer's Under-15 Team 2 equalled the Under-16s' achievement with an impressive 6-1 home victory over Hapoel Acre, courtesy of a brace by Yam Ben Yehuda and four individual goals by Sahar Barami, Eyal Chen, Arad Bar and Shachar Drucker.
Maccabi's Under-14 Team South won their tie against Hapoel Ramat Hasharon 5-2, with Omri Ram scoring twice and Omer Yitzhaki, Osher Davida and Eden Silam adding on. The Under-14 Team North had a harder time of it but they too took home all three points with a 1-0 victory over Beitar Tubruk earned off a first-half goal by Amit Ya'akov. Maccabi's Under-13 Team North racked up the highest score of the weekend, overwhelming Hapoel Ramat Gan by an eye-opening 11-1 scoreline. The club's Under-13 Team South won by a more modest but still impressive margin, 1-4 against Hapoel Kiryat Ono.
