Maccabi Tel Aviv managed only a goalless draw against defensive-minded Hapoel Hadera on Saturday in the TASE Premier League, a disappointing result that has seen them still without a goal in any of their three fixtures at home since returning to the new Bloomfield Stadium.
Defender Eitan Tibi spoke to reporters after the game and said that only fine margins separated the hosts from a win to show that they were back on track after the 4-0 drubbing of Beitar Jerusalem in their previous outing.
“Clearly, we really wanted this win today and to add another three points to the kitty. We weren’t thinking of the big win we had over Beitar Jerusalem last week.
“Today we faced a side that came only to defend hoping perhaps to steal a goal. It was completely different. We had several chances to score but regrettably, we didn’t put the ball in the net.”
Tibi said that Maccabi’s players had prepared to face a side like Hadera, whose only aim was to close ranks and not concede.
“We do practice, we reached scoring situations but unfortunately we just couldn’t put one away. Usually, when you score one goal against such teams the game opens up but today it didn’t happen.”
He said he was certain the team would settle back into winning ways.
“I have no doubt that we will finally score at Bloomfield, it’s just a matter of time. We didn’t concede here and at least that’s good, but we do need to score in order to win.
“This season will be more challenging for us compared to last but it’s a good thing and will keep us honest.”
