Maccabi Tel Aviv defeated Maccabi Haifa thanks to goals by Vidar Kjartansson and Avi Rikan who scored in favor of the Yellow & Blue at Sammy Ofer Stadium on Sunday night against the Greens. The Head Coach Lito Vidigal spoke about the win and it’s importance:
“I was pleased with the club’s performance. It was a good match against a tough opponent who is considered to be one of the big clubs in the league. This made the victory even that more important. I told the players that they know who they are playing against and that we need players with character to represent the team in this game. Otherwise it would be difficult to play against a team like Maccabi Haifa.”
About the State Cup Final at the end of the month:
“We have to continue to improve our performance right until the final. We may have won but I believe that we still have plenty to improve in our game. We have to look better. We had some really good minutes and what is important is that we won here in Haifa. Everyone gave their maximum. That’s very important to me. The overall picture looks good.”
Yossi Benayoun, the veteran Yellow & Blue midfielder who just celebrated his 37th birthday also spoke about the win over his former club: “This isn’t the first time that I played here with Maccabi Tel Aviv against Haifa and heard the boos. It also happened in the 2:2 draw in the second round. But when I’m on the pitch I totally block out everything else and I know exactly how to make sure to do the maximum. Sometimes in life things don’t end up like you had hoped. I had some great years at Maccabi Haifa but at the end of the day I believe that everything is from above. I came to an excellent place, I’m enjoying myself and that is what is most important in my opinion.”
His fitness:
“I am trying to do the maximum and run and enjoy myself and I hope that it continues like this. I’m really enjoying myself at Maccabi. From the first minute I arrived this is what I had expected. The moment I began to receive more of an opportunity I’ve been able to raise my game and I hope that I’ll continue to justify the credit I’m being given.”
