Every four years during the month of February, the 29th day rolls around. Just like today. In honor of this special day we’re going to take a trip down memory lane and look back at a match that the Yellow-and-Blue not only hosted but won as well.
February 29, 2004. Nir Klinger and his player graced the Bloomfield Stadium pitch a year after they had won the league title. The Yellow-and-Blue came into Matchday 22 in fourth place chasing after top of the table side Maccabi Haifa. Just one year earlier, Klinger, Avi Nimni and Baruch Dego were able to come back from being 9 points down to win a photo finish championship title.
This time, Klinger’s squad knew that they had to win in order to still have a chance to win the title and it was clear from the opening minutes who came to Bloomfield prepared for battle. John Pantsil and Salem Abu Siam attacked the Petach Tikva defense from the wings. Prohonenkovs knew exactly how to draw the defenders out but the player who starred above them all was Tamir Cohen who marshaled the Maccabi midfield that also featured Bruno Reis and Oren Zeituni.
Cohen made his mark on the match early on in the 22nd minute. The young midfielder’s screamer from 20 meters out went off of the post and into the Petach Tikva goal to give Maccabi a 1:0 lead. The second half began with the Yellow-and-Blue putting pressure on Petach Tikva and that led to Igor Tomshiv being issued a red card in the 72nd minute when he pulled down Adorno on his way to the goal.
As the clock hit the 80th minute, Bruno Reis took control of the ball and beat keeper Rafi Cohen to score Maccabi’s second goal of the match and just five minutes later Adorno’s 17 meter effort went behind Cohen for the third marker as the match ended in a dominating 3:0 victory for the Yellow-and-Blue.
Maccabi’s Starting XI: Liran Strauber, John Pantsil, Moshe Mishaelov, Tal Ben Haim, Salem Abu Siam, Tamir Cohen, Oren Zeituni, Bruno Reis, Eli Biton (Erez Mesika 69), Adorno (Andrzej Kubica 86), Prohonenkovs (Reuven Oved 82)
