Itay Shechter, the Maccabi Tel Aviv striker summed up his side’s 2:0 win over Maccabi Petah Tikva:
“I feel good and I’m happy with the win, we knew it would be a tough match and they would pack in the defense. But we found a way to beat them and took the 3 points.”
Honoring Avi Cohen:
“We began the day with an emotional ceremony honoring the late Avi Cohen and we had to find a way to win on a day like today in front of a sold out crowd.”
Every match is important:
“I don’t think we’re on a rollercoaster. Most matches we are playing well and some game we score later, but you can ease who well we play together. We opened up a big gap in front of the second place team but we have to be focused on our goals ahead. There are teams that are battling for their lives. At Maccabi Tel Aviv every match is important and we have to maintain our intensity as we have the State Cup ahead of us and fans that want to see us play. Those who won’t show their qualities won’t have the opportunity to play.
The role of the striker:
“I’m a striker so there are times when you play more, when the ball goes in and when it doesn’t. I came here to help Maccabi Tel Aviv and when I do play we look good. Sometimes I score and sometimes my teammates score but the most important thing is Maccabi Tel Aviv and that we win.”
Atar’s penalty:
“I didn’t notice that the player had touched the ball, but Eliran took it and scored.”
Working hard:
“It’s great that I have the faith of Ben and the coach. We also have Chico and Aron who can play striker and Chico has played really well of late. Sometimes I play and sometimes Chico but it’s great that we have the trust of the coach. We are having a historical season and it’s not easy to maintain the same intensity match after match but we have a great group of guys that work hard every training session. We also have a great professional and medical staff that make sure we are all doing well.”
