Maccabi 'Oded' Tel Aviv (U-17) will play in the State Cup final against Ironi Nir Ramat Hasharon this Saturday at 9:00 in Shefaim.
Maccabi ‘Oded’ Tel Aviv encountered several difficult opponents on their way to the final. In the first round Maccabi faced MS Ashdod. Coach Eliezer Ben Aharon remembers the game well: “Our first game was in Ashdod. We were trailing 1-0 and managed to turn the game in the last ten minutes to win it 2-1 and to qualify”.
In the next round, Maccabi Tel Aviv traveled to Petah Tikva to play against local Maccabi. The hosts proved to be a difficult opponent and the score at the end of regulation time was 1-1. “We managed to win only in overtime. They made life really hard on us, but we were resilient and managed qualify after another challenging game”.
The quarter-final draw sent Maccabi on the road again to play Hakoah Amidar Ramat Gan. This game was surprisingly an easy one, Maccabi beat the home team 4-0 and qualified to the semi-final.
In the semi-final Maccabi faced Beitar Jerusalem in Wingate. Maccabi had a wonderful start, showing its dominance and eventually beating Beitar Jerusalem 3-1.
Coach Ben Aharon spoke ahead of the final on Saturday: “It is clear that Ramat Hasharon is a good side, otherwise they would not have been here. They are also at the top of their division, so we know it is not going to be an easy game. We are going to do our best. Our preparation for the game is the same is any other, though truth be told, there’s a great desire to win the cup”.
While Ben Aharon’s team will be playing in the final, their title opponents, Maccabi Haifa, will be playing a difficult away match against Hapoel Be’er Sheva. Maccabi is hoping for Haifa to lose points, Coach Ben Aharon insists his team’s attention will remain in the final: “We have to play and not to think about games elsewhere”.
