Maccabi Tel Aviv took a 2:1 lead in the first half thanks to Eran Zahavi’s brace but three unanswered goals helped Beitar Jerusalem to a 4:2 win at Bloomfield Stadium. Eden Ben Basat who played the full second half spoke about how he felt after the loss:

“To give up four goals and to lose the way we did today is just unacceptable for us. I hope that this was a one off match and we can look ahead to Bnei Yehuda and the Derby. We blew it today and we didn’t want this to happen but we have to give Beitar their due and look forward.”

The transition from Europe to the domestic league:

“With all due respect to European competition which is in itself an amazing experience, our bread and butter is the Israeli league. It’s through the domestic league that we can make it into Europe and we make sure that the whole squad is prepared to play. We came into the match ready to play and the coach chose what he felt was the strongest starting lineup but it just didn’t work. This also happens to much bigger clubs than us. When I play I don’t make up any excuses for my performance. We had to win this game but we didn’t so the blame is on us. We had a game plan for this match but they were able to really push us with their fast break that worked to perfection.”

On his play:

“I don’t enjoy sitting on the bench and I like to play. My goal is to be a main cog on the team but the competition is healthy for everyone. A striker gains confidence and momentum when he plays and it takes time to build this up.”