Hapoel Umm El Fahm of the Second Division came back from 2-0 down to beat Maccabi Tel Aviv 3-2 at their home ground in Afula on Saturday in one of the biggest State Cup upsets of recent years.
The Wadi Ara town club who began as clear underdogs put on a spirited second half comeback to end Maccabi’s challenge for another trophy in the eighth round of the competition, the stage when top division clubs enter the competition.
The team in red began the match tentatively and allowed Maccabi to dominate and pile pressure on their goal with their pace and accurate passing. The advantage told, as they took a 2-0 lead within 32 minutes, but from that moment, it was hard to differentiate between the TASE Premier League leaders and the second division side and Umm El Fahm showed great fighting spirit and scored a wonder strike to win the tie.
Maccabi got on the score sheet for the first time in the 13th minute when Avi Rikan was put through with an excellent diagonal ball into the area from the right by Eylon Almog and Rikan made no mistake as he sent the ball on its way into the bottom left corner of the net. 
Almog himself scored the second goal in the 32nd minute when a defensive error by Umm El Fahm’s Younes Jabarin passed the ball to Rikan, who sent it on to Almog in front of the keeper and he made certain again with a well placed low shot.
The hosts picked up the pace and weren’t going to give up without a fight and in the 42nd minute Umm El Fahm made it 2-1 when Tadas Kijanskas headed in well from close range to beat Andreas Gianiotis in the Maccabi goal after a cross from the right by Niv Sardal.
The hosts were emboldened by their good showing towards the end of the first half and came out far more confident in the second, playing as equals with their illustrious opponents. 
Within three minutes of the restart they were level at 2-2 after Sardal sent a ball across the goalmouth from the right. It hit the leg of Maccabi defender Shahar Piven and rebounded into the net for an own goal.
Rif Mesika, the best player on the pitch in the second half ignited the stands in the 78th minute with a curling right-footed strike from 27 metres out that left Gianiotis no chance and stunned Maccabi.
The pressure grew as the minutes ticked down towards the end of the match and Maccabi were unable to find a way through for an equaliser that would have sent the encounter into extra time and the 4,000 home fans celebrated a famous win for their unheralded club.
