The Under-15 State Cup Semifinals took place at Ramat Gan Stadium as both the North and South squad’s were in action. The first semifinal pitted the U15 South team against Hapoel Beer Sheva in a match that the Reds took after penalty kicks. Following that contest the U15 North side faced Bnei Sakhnin in a game that was decided in overtime after 90 minutes ended in a 2:2 draw as the young Yellow & Blue scored two goals in the extra period. The Under-15 North team will play Hapoel Beer Sheva in the State Cup Final.
The U15 North squad’s match began with Bnei Sakhnin taking a 1:0 lead off a corner kick header but the young Yellow & Blue dictated the pace of play and took a 2:1 lead. Sakhnin went down to 10 men during the second half due to a second yellow card but found the equalizer from a set piece. The contest went into overtime and Asaf Heber’s team scored a pair of goals to advance to the State Cup Final.
The Under-15 South squad fell to Hapoel Beer Sheva on penalty kicks following overtime. Ori David’s charges controlled the contest especially after the Southern Reds also went down to 10-men. The Yellow & Blue continued to threaten the Beer Sheva goal but to no avail as the game moved into penalty kicks where Maccabi came up short. Although the team was eliminated from State Cup play they will have a chance to win the league championship this weekend.
