.jpg)
Last night Maccabi Tel Aviv picked up an important win over rivals Hapoel Beer Sheva 1:0 at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem. After the match Eden Ben Basat and Gili Vermouth spoke about being part of the win. Both the striker and midfielder discussed the match, the new 'keeper Predrag Rajkovic, the upcoming National Team games against Andorra and Wales and of course the opportunity to play in the Champions League.
Eden Ben Basat:
The coach prepared us very well and asked that we play as we did against Basel. I'm very happy that we were able to do what we needed to do and end up on the winning side against Beer Sheva and that's what is most important.
I came to play today and gave everything I could and its great that I was able to help the club pick up the victory and also that I played a full 90 minutes. Beer Sheva is a tough team but we already have 6 points out of two games and that's great news.
It's a dream to play in the Champions League and to be at those levels and in those types of stadiums. I also want to wish the Israel National Team the best of luck going into the two games this week.
Gili Vermouth:
Beer Sheva is our biggest competition for the Israel league championship and it was a very tough match but we won in the end. When they had the ball we had to make sure to close them down defensively and make sure we took our chances properly. We had to keep the score in our favor and we picked up the points and now we'll continue on.
It was Rajkovic's first match and he ended up playing in one of the biggest matches of the year and it ended well. The referee disallowed Barda's goal which was crucial for us and he will keep improving each day.
I'm excited about getting to the National Team and I want to thank the coach (Eli Gutman) for calling me up and I hope to play more minutes. Getting a chance to play in the Champions League is a dream and I was there five years ago so it's a great feeling to walk onto the pitch hearing the Champions League anthem again. I can't wait!
