Maccabi Tel Aviv took on FC Porto on Matchday Four of the UEFA Champions League at Sammy Ofer Stadium in Haifa as Captain Eran Zahavi would score in the second half on a penalty kick for the Yellow-and-Blue’s only goal in a 3:1 defeat. The goal would mark Maccabi’s first in Champions League play in 11 years and the first against a Portuguese club since Amir Turgeman’s against Boavista back in 2002.
Head Coach Slavisa Jokanovic started an offensive minded lineup in front of ‘keeper Predrag Rajkovic in search of their first goal and points of the competition. A back four of
Omri Ben Harush, Tal Ben Haim, Carlos Garcia and Eitan Tibi played right behind midfielders Dor Peretz, Gal Alberman and Gili Vermouth. Up front Maccabi featured Avi Rikan, Tal Ben Chaim and Eran Zahavi.
The Yellow-and-Blue started like a house on fire with the attack being led by winger Tal Ben Chaim who garnered a 2nd minute chance in the early going. With Maccabi running on all cylinders offensively, ‘keeper Rajkovic needed to be super sharp on Porto striker Vincent Aboubakar scintillating strike from 20 metres out. Ben Chaim would have a couple of incredible chances in the 15th minute but failed to find the back of the goal.
In the 19th minute Cristian Tello would put the visitors ahead as Porto’s number 11 would cut through the Maccabi defenders on the left side and put the ball behind Rajkovic for the 1:0 lead. With both sides splitting time controlling the middle minutes of the first frame, Aboubakar would have a chance to double his side’s lead but the striker’s close range shot would hit the left post and go out of bounds to keep the score as is after the first 45 minutes of play.
To start the second half Maccabi made two substitutions bringing on Eden Ben Basat and Nikola Mitrovic for Vermouth and Ben Harush but they were made to pay a very high price soon thereafter. Maxi Pereira sent a ball into the Maccabi box where Andre Andre made no mistake heading it right past a helpless Rajkovic to double their lead in the 50th minute to 2:0.
The next ten minutes were all Zahavi as the determined Captain took matters into his own hands with a pair of fantastic chances that Casillas was able to save to keep the clean sheet miraculously intact. An additional opportunity by Zahavi was picked up by Casillas in the 61st minute as Maccabi mounted wave after offensive wave in search of a goal. However, it would be Porto who would score its third goal of the game on a classy Layun goal from a Tello pass that curled right past a diving Rajkovic to increase their lead to 3:0.
Zahavi would keep plugging away and he would be rewarded for his efforts in the 75th 
minute being fouled in the Porto box by Pereira good for a penalty, and what a penalty kick it would be. Finally, the moment Maccabi supporters have waited 11 years for, the chance for a Champions League goal!
The Captain would step to the spot and make no mistake putting a perfect penalty kick behind Casillas and send the crowd into pandemonium! The joy on Zahavi’s face after the strike was priceless getting the proverbial monkey off of the Yellow-and-Blue backs while cutting the visitors lead to 3:1. But that would be all she wrote for Matchday Four as the referee blew the whistle after 90 minutes sending Maccabi home with a bitter sweet feeling, having scored a goal but still in search of their first points.
