The Yellow & Blue received goals by Gal Alberman and Oscar Scarione while Ahmed Said scored for Split as Maccabi won the first leg of their Europa League Playoff Round 2:1. The decisive match for a ticket to the Europa League group stages will be held next Thursday, August 25th in Croatia.

Head Coach Shota Arveladze’s Starting XI had a familiar face in goal as Predrag Rajkovic played behind a defense of Avi Rikan, Eitan Tibi, Egor Filipenka and Dor Peretz. Captain Gal Alberman was in his usual defensive midfielder position while Haris Medunjanin and Nosa Igiebor played next to number 6. Tal Ben Chaim, Dor Micha and Oscar Scarione provided the attack.

First Half

Following a furious start to the game by Maccabi with action coming from Ben Chaim’s left wing supplying a pair of superb chances, the Yellow & Blue got on the board in the 7th minute via an Alberman goal. Medunjanin took the ball after a short corner and passed it to the Captain who hit it home from the top of the box to give the hosts a 1:0 lead.

Ben Chaim tried his luck again in the 11th minute by passing the ball to Micha but his effort went over the goal while Hadjuk had a pair of chances in the 17th minute both on corner kicks but Rajikovic made the saves when called upon to keep the Yellow & Blue in the lead.

Micha’s 27th minute opportunity was blocked by the Hajduk defense and sent out for a corner while Tibi picked up a 31st minute yellow card as Maccabi continued to search for more goals. In the 33rd minute Scarione’s chip found Igiebor but his header was saved by Kalinic and three minutes later the former sent a ball from 30 meters out that couldn’t find the goal as the sides headed into the break with Maccabi holding a 1:0 lead.

Second Half

Hajduk Split had one mission in mind at the beginning of the second half and that was to score a valuable away goal. Unfortunately for Maccabi that’s exactly what happened in the 56th minute as Ahmed Said brought his team level with the hosts 1:1.

Coach Arveladze introduced Eli Dasa in the 62nd minute for Peretz which almost immediately paid off as his terrific ball to Scarione in the box barely missed the target. Five minutes later Arveladze made his second substitution bringing in Eden Ben Basat for Gal Alberman as Micha took the captain’s armband. In the 69th minute the Yellow & Blue has a marvelous chance to go ahead but Ben Chaim’s attempt was again saved by the Croatian National Team keeper to keep the score as is.

Five minutes later Franck Ohandza almost capitalized on a Maccabi mistake but his shot just went wide of the goal and at the other end Medunjanin’s sharp effort also missed the target. However in the 78th minute Scarione made sure to put the ball in the back of the goal to give the Yellow & Blue a 2:1 lead.

Igiebor’s massive chip found Ben Chaim who easily went in on goal and tapped the ball to Scarione as number 5 easily it slotted home for the one goal advantage.

The 81st minute saw Yossi Benayoun enter the contest in favor of Scarione as Maccabi looked in earnest for a third goal but it was not to be as the Yellow & Blue will head to Split, Croatia for the second leg next Thursday August 25th holding a slim one-goal advantage.