Maccabi Tel Aviv beat Hapoel Tel Aviv 2-0 last night and completed a third derby victory of the season. After the match we turned to the history books to understand how Maccabi’s current dominance is extraordinary and discovered a few interesting statistics which are worth a mention.
A record unbeaten run in derbies
Let us begin with Maccabi’s most significant historic achievement following last night’s result: the 2-0 victory set an all-time record of 11 derby matches with a defeat for Maccabi. Maccabi’s previous record (10 unbeaten matches) was achieved in April 1994.
Hapoel’s unbeaten record in derbies also stands on 11 matchers (March 1984) which means Maccabi could set a new record when both teams meet on Saturday.
This is the fourth time Maccabi won three matches in one season (previously happened in 1992/93, 2003/04 and 2012/13). On the other hand, Hapoel never managed to beat Maccabi three times in one season.
Should Maccabi beat Hapoel on Saturday, a new record of four derby victories in one season will be set.
The goal difference after three league derbies this season currently stands on 8-0 which equals the highest record of 9-1 set in the 1992/93 season.
The three derby victories recorded this season increased Maccabi’s tally to 8 more than their opponents in the all-time record – with 54 derby wins as opposed to Hapoel’s 46. This is the highest lead Maccabi had over Hapoel since the turn of the Millennium and only 2 less than the all-time record of 10.
Eylon Almog’s achievement
Having scored a 95th minute goal in the first derby of the season (3-0), Eylon Almog became the first ever Maccabi player to score injury time goals in the Tel Aviv derby.
Avi Rikan is another player who likes scoring in Tel Aviv derbies, as the 31-year-old midfielder scored the opener last night – just as he did in the first derby of the season on MD12 last December.
Rikan also scored the opening goal in the 4-3 victory over Maccabi Haifa on MD17 in January this year.
Sheran Yeini made his 24th appearance in derby matches. Only four Maccabi former players played in more Tel Aviv derbies than Yeini: Miko Belo (33), Avi Nimni and Benny Tabak (29 each) and Eli Driks (27).
