Itay Schechter scored the only goal of the game as Maccabi Tel Aviv ended the pre-season training camp with a 1-0 friendly victory over Beitar at Teddy stadium.
Ten minutes from the start, Itay Schechter’s pressure on Itamar Nitzan paid off as Beitar’s keeper attempt of a clearance ricoshet off the veteran forward and bounced into the net to open the score. Six minutes later Daniel Tenebaum pulled a stunning save to tip Idan Vered’s fierce drive over the crossbar.
Enric Saborit missed a glorious chance to double the score on 21 as Ofir Davidzada picked him with a pinpoint cross from the left. But the Spanish left-back who was left unmarked deep in the area, guided his header wide of the target. Eylon Almog came close but saw his shot in the 25th minute deflected for a corner after Schechter managed to dispossess Beitar’s defense.
On 38 Almog flashed a shot across the face of goal as he charged forward from the halfway line before repeating the miss from the exact spot two minutes later following a clever Ido Schahar pass.
Maccabi continued dominating as Nitzan was forced to dive and push out Dor Peretz’s volley from the edge of the area on the stroke of halftime. Shlomi Ben Avraham’s halftime whistle sent both teams for a well deserved break from the heat, as Performance Director Patrick Van Leeuwen sent out 11 new players for the second half.
Seven minutes after the hour mark, Dor Turgeman and Bar Cohen combined well, but the winger’s low cross couldn’t find a finishing touch.
Daniel Peretz reacted well to parry Shalom Edri’s powerful shot from the edge of the area on 75.
Daniel Peretz positioned himself well to deny Levi Garcia’s free kick on 85 and pulled a stunning save to Garcia once again inside injury time. Eliran Atar flashed a shot over the crossbar as this was the closest Beitar could manage.
At the end of the game Maccabi’s Performance Director, Patrick van Leeuwen who guided the team, said: “We played against a serious side that is also in pre-season at an irregular kickoff time for the players to play at. At this game as well we played with 2 line-ups – 11 in each half, so all the players could get to play 45 minutes and show their ability”.
Midfielder, Dor Peretz, added: “We played a good game as we are beginning to implement the tactical principles of the game the coach introduced us. We are looking much better and this was evident today on the pitch”.
