Tal Ben Haim, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s central defender spoke about the 1:0 1st leg Europa League Playoff Round victory over Altach in Innsbruck while also looking ahead to next week’s return match on Thursday as well as the Israel Premier League season opener on Sunday against Beitar Jerusalem:
“It was a good week for the club, but it was a tough match today for everyone. We fought and gave all of our heart and we came away with a good result. However, it’s only the first half and we will have a very tough match next Thursday night. I hope the fans will all come out and cheer as they always do and we will come ready to go. Before that we open up the Israeli league on Sunday and we have a very important match against Beitar Jerusalem so we have to be prepared for that as well.”
Summing up the win over Altach:
“It was a match that wasn’t played at the highest of levels on a pitch where the ball jumped a bit and it was hard for us to control the ball. We faced a very tough opponent and we showed character as we scored a goal while keeping a clean sheet. It was the 6th out of 7 matches where we didn’t give up a goal so that says something that everyone has to also take part in the defensive side of the game.”
Looking ahead to Sunday’s match:
“We are professionals and we will have a good training session so we can come into the match prepared as best as possible.”
