Benny Tabak is considered one of Maccabi Tel Aviv’s all-time greats. The legendary player ended his stint as Club Manager this past summer after 4 years on the job and moved to the scouting department where he will follow the players out on loan. After being honored with a gift from the club’s players this past week, it’s our turn to look back at some of the F-15’s best moments.

May 4, 1977. Maccabi Tel Aviv played away at Kfar Saba in the State Cup semifinals. Yaacov Grondman’s Yellow-and-Blue came into the match after falling at Beitar Tel Aviv 1:0 in league play. On the other side of the pitch, Kfar Saba had just won their league match by the score of 7:1 and entered the contest brimming with confidence.

Grondman opened the match with a very strong starting XI that included Avi Cohen Z”L, Avi Cohen the Jerusalemite, Miko Belo, Vicki Peretz and Benny Tabak. 2500 fans filled the stadium waiting to see what Dror Kashtan had planned against their Yellow-and-Blue.

“Grondman’s team opened the match with terrific momentum,” one of the journalists noted the morning after as he described the pressure Vicki Peretz, Benny Tabak and Moshe Mizrachi put on the Kfar Saba keeper Schwartz. The pressure paid off in the 9th minute when Peretz broke free in the center of the pitch, as Mizrachi played give and go with him going forward. Tabak trailed right behind and Peretz sent the F-15 a beauty of a ball in the center of the box for him to easily score his first of the match.

Just minutes later, Tabak attempted to return the favor to Peretz as he slotted the ball just wide by the far post as Maccabi took a 1:0 lead into the break. As soon as the second half started the Yellow-and-Blue doubled their score as Peretz took a scintillating shot at the goal. Kfar Saba defender Hillel blocked the ball, but it went right to Tabak’s feet as he had no problem putting home his second goal of the match.

At the end of 90 minutes, Grondman’s side punched their ticket to the semifinals of the State Cup where they defeated Maccabi Netanya 6:1 and went on to beat Beitar Tel Aviv 1:0 as they returned the Cup to their trophy case.

1988: 4:0 over Hapoel Beer Sheva, Tabak Hattrick
Saturday November 26, 1988. Maccabi Tel Aviv hosted Hapoel Beer Sheva after a season that began with very little luck that included a number of draws and a few losses. Udi Nussbaum’s lineup featured Benny Tabak, Eli Drikes and Moti Ivanir. Check out how the F-15 changed Maccabi’s fortunes:

1983: Four goals against Liverpool
1983, Tabak along with the Israel National team played a friendly against one of the most well-known football club’s in the world, Liverpool from England. The match at Ramat Gan Stadium turned out to be one of the greatest performances for any player as Tabak proved to be a one man wrecking crew!

The first goal was headed in by Tabak off a beautiful cross by the Beitar Jerusalem great Ori Malmillian and his second of the match came off a deep ball by Gili Landau that Tabak slotted in right off of left post to make it 2:0 Israel.

The second half against Liverpool began just as the first half had as Tabak scored his third goal of the match! Zahi Armeli gave Tabak another deep ball as he pounced on the pass and pounded the ball into the left corner of the goal behind Liverpool ‘keeper Bruce Grobbelaar.

If anyone thought that Tabak would be finished with a hat-trick, well they were just wrong as the F-15 made sure to save the best for last heading the ball into the right side of the goal for his 4th of the day giving the National Team a 4:3 victory. Tabak’s 4-goal performance back in 1983 will be celebrated in the annals of history just as his hat-trick against Portugal was in 1982 during World Cup qualifying.