Hapoel Beer Sheva received goals from Ben Sahar and Maor Bozaglo to beat Maccabi 2:0 on Matchday 8 at Turner Stadium in Beer Sheva. The Yellow & Blue will now look ahead to Thursday’s Europa League clash on Matchday Four against Alkmaar from Holland.
Prematch
Head Coach Shota Arveladze’s Starting XI had Serbian keeper Predrag Rajikovic in goal with a defense of Eli Dasa, Eitan Tibi, Tal Ben Haim and Omri Ben Harush in front of him. Captain Gal Alberman was the defensive midfielder as Haris Medunjanin and Nosa Igiebor played beside him. Dor Micha, Oscar Scarione and Icelander Vidar Kjartansson provided the attack.
Available on the bench was keeper Barak Levy making his first appearance with the club this season due to an injury that Daniel Lifshitz picked up last match, Eden Ben Basat, Tal Ben Chaim, Dor Peretz, Egor Filipenka, Avi Rikan and Yossi Benayoun.
First Half
The first chance of the match came in the 14th minute as Maor Bozaglo took a deep free kick from the right side, however the ensuing header went over the bar. Scarione had a chance in the 17th minute but Goresh made the save while Igiebor’s follow up couldn’t get past the Beer Sheva keeper. Micha then got by Korhut as play went back the other way but Goresh was up to the task again as he collected number 15’s chance keeping the contest goalless.
But it wouldn’t be goalless for much longer as Beer Sheva took a 1:0 lead on a goal by Ben Sahar from in close on a counter attack in the 28th minute. Maccabi looked to find the equalizer but Kjartansson’s chance went wide right just two minutes later. Beer Sheva’s Korhut cut off the Maccabi momentum with two opportunities just a minute later. The first coming on a scorcher from 17 meters out and the second on a low shot, however both were saved by Rajikovic keeping the deficit at only one goal as the sides headed into the break with Beer Sheva holding a slim 1:0 lead.
Second Half
Maor Melikson had the first chance of the second half as he burst down the left side of the pitch making it by the Maccabi defense but his effort was collected by Rajikovic in the 50th minute. Six minutes later it was Melikson sporting the captain’s armband with another quality chance from the left side but his ball just scooted by the left post.
Following an Alberman yellow card in the 60th minute, Maor Bozaglo buried a free kick from the top of the box to give Beer Sheva a 2:0 lead. Coach Arveladze then made his first substitution of the contest introducing Tal Ben Chaim for Gal Alberman.
After Igiebor skied a ball over the bar, Arveladze made his second substitution bringing on Eden Ben Basat who scored a brace on Thursday night in the Toto Cup for Vidar Kjartansson in the 70th minute to try and spark the Maccabi offense. Twelve minutes later Yossi Benayoun was the third substitute entering the match for Eli Dasa.
Micha had a late chance to cut the Beer Sheva lead but it wasn’t meant to be as the southern capital side defeated Maccabi 2:0 as the Yellow & Blue will now prepare for Thursday’s Europa League Matchday Four game against Alkmaar.
