Maccabi Tel Aviv recorded their fourth league victory over Macabi Haifa this season following a 1-0 win at Sammy Ofer. Enric Saborit scored his debut goal of the campaign which stretched Maccabi’s unbeaten run to 35 league matches. Vladimir Ivic’s side which kept another clean sheet to stretch the lead at the top of the table to 15 points from second place Maccabi Haifa. Maccabi will now try end the season with an unbeaten record should they avoid defeat on Tuesday’s final match against Hapoel Beersheva.
The top of the table clash against Maccabi Haifa was originally set to be the championship decider, but Maccabi clinched the title and lifted the trophy last week – the only thing left to play for was far from just bragging rights.
In addition to the bitter rivalry between the two clubs, Maccabi’s 4-3 on their last match against Haifa at Sammy Ofer, together with an unbeaten record which stretches to 34 league matches meant that plenty was left at stake.
News that Avi Rikan, Eyal Golasa and Eitan Tibi and team manager Yoav Ziv who were ordered to go into isolation due to alleged exposure to someone diagnosed with Covid19 before the last Tel Aviv derby, left Vladimir Ivic with a last minute selection headache.
Jair Amador dropped to the bench as Ivic returned to the flat-back-four formation with Sheran Yeini and Schahar Piven lining up right in-front of Greek goalkeeper Andreas Gianniotis. Andre Geraldes and Enric Saborit returned to the right and left full-back roles respectively, while Dan Glazer also returned to the starting line up as the anchor-man right behind Dor Peretz and Ruslan Barsky as a three-man strong midfield. Yonatan Cohen, who scored the winning goal against Beitar Jerusalem in midweek returned to the side and joined Eylon Almog and Nick Blackman as the trio with attacking responsibilities.
Young Nadav Nidam and Ronen Hanzis were named amongst the 8 substitutes as the long list of absentees left Ivic with one man short on the bench. Omer Katz, Jair Amador, Itay Schechter, Parfait Guigaon, Maor Kandil and Ofir Davidzada were all named on the bench waiting for their chance.
First Half
Two minutes from the start, Ruslan Barsky came close to break the deadlock as a corner fell into his path, but he miscued his shot. Two minutes later, Dan Glazer stripped Chery of the ball and released a counter attack before Nick Blackman teed-up Dor Peretz whose shot went high into the stand. Eylon Almog was the first to test Haifa’s keeper from a long range, but his powerful drive was easily collected by the American keeper.
Enric Saborit broke the deadlock as he chipped the keeper in the 25th minute after Haifa’s defense failed to clear Yonatan Cohen’s free kick and Glazer’s following header allowing the Spaniard to score his first goal of the season.
Right on the half hour mark, Peretz could have doubled the score but after skipping past a defender he rattled the crossbar from close range. Haifa came close to level the score at the opposite end, but Sheran Yeini’s last gasp block denied Chery.
Almog missed a chance to double the lead on 37 as he curled a free kick straight into the hands of Cohen after Peretz was tripped on the edge of the area.
Chery tested Andreas Gianniotis for the first time on 43 only to see the Greek custodian need two attempts to capture the ball. A minute later, Peretz had another chance inside the area, but his shot which caught the keeper stranded on his line was deflected out for a corner.
Second Half
Ofri Arad sent a header which narrowly missed the target on 52 as Ivic made his first change shortly after with Ofir Dsvidzada coming on for Almog.
Yannick Wildschut and Chery combined well on 63 to break through Maccabi’s defensive line, but with only Gianniotis to beat Chery hooked his shot wide.
A minute later at the opposite end, Cohen won a tackle but his cross which rolled across the face of goal was cleared by Trent Sainsbury before Peretz could tap it home.
Itay Schechter came in for Blackman on 67 as Ivic made his second change of the game.
Peretz headed wide following a cross from Davidzada in the 90th minute. Ivic made a double change in injury time as Nadav Nidam and Maor Kandil came in for Peretz and Cohen respectively.
Nidam could have celebrated his debut appearance this season with a goal inside injury time, but his right foot shot from inside the area went high and wide.
