Yellow & Blue striker, Itay Shechter looked back at Maccabi Tel Aviv’s 1:1 draw at Hapoel Beer Sheva on Matchday 2 of the Israel Premier League:
“It was a bit of a missed opportunity. We were better for the majority of the match and gave up a goal that we shouldn’t have. But you can see that Maccabi has a strong character to be able to come here after getting slapped on Thursday. We will be a strong team this year both on and off of the pitch and in the mental aspects as well. We have a bunch of men here. We’re disappointed, but we will take away the positives as there is a long way to go. To come into Beer Sheva and play the way we did especially after Thursday shows a lot of character. We will continue to work hard with passion, hunger and desire in order to reach our goals this season.”
A strong Maccabi:
“We began the match well, we controlled most of the game and Beer Sheva had a tough time adapting to the way we played. We gave up a goal on a half mistake but we showed character in a tough stadium. This is only Matchday 2 and we will keep working hard and focussed to reach our goals and for everyone to see a strong Maccabi.”
Just the start of the season:
“I knew that there would be tough competition for playing time in the squad which was built for both Europe and domestic competitions. I knew that I would have to prove myself in training and during the minutes I received at the start of the season. Slowly but surely I have been gaining confidence and have been playing more. This is just the beginning of the season and there will be good minutes and some not so good minutes along the way. My goal as a player and the goals of Maccabi Tel Aviv is to work hard, be hungry and modest as the league has a long way to go.”
Giving everything for Maccabi:
“We have to give it our all in every training session and every player understands at Maccabi that they have to give 110% whether it’s for 90 minutes or one minute. There were three ongoing competitions and the coach split the minutes up appropriately throughout the squad. I will give everything I have any time I am called upon.”
Taking the positives:
“Golasa scored a great goal and we have to give him credit. We are on the right path and we have plenty of time to go in the season. In order for us to forget what happened in Europe we all had to give it our all and we did everything to win here but the match ended in a draw. We will take the positives, learn from them and move on. Have a Happy Rosh Hashana and a Happy New Year.”
