Pre Match
With a winless start from the first three league rounds, Maccabi’s coach Georgios Donis made several changes from the side which beat Sivasspor in Turkey on Thursday.
Enric Saborit returned to the starting line-up at left back while Sheran Yeini on his 450th appearance for the club slotted in on the right. Eitan Tibi and Luis Hernandez completed the defensive back four protecting Daniel Tenenbaum’s goal while Eyal Golasa also returned to the side joining Dan Glazer and Dor Peretz in midfield.
Avi Rikan who set up Dor Peretz’s winning goal in Turkey and Dan Biton who scored the equalizer from the penalty spot, were assigned to support Eduardo Guerrero who led the attack on his first league start.
Maccabi Haifa, for their part handed a debut league start to former Maccabi Spanish midfielder Jose Rodriguez, while defender Taleb Tawatcha returned to Haifa’s starting line-up after several years abroad.
First Half
Six minutes from the start the hosts took the lead as Eyal Golasa was dispossessed near the halfway line. Nykita Rakuvytsya charged forward and teed-up Tyron Cherry who broke into the area and slotted the ball past Daniel Tenenbaum. A minute later Haifa doubled their lead as Cherry repaid Rakuvytsya with a through ball before the Australian international curled a left foot shot into the far corner to make it 2-0.
Donis changed formation in the 25th minute as shifted to five across the back with Enric Saborit pushing into the middle alongside Tibi and Hernandez while Rikan moved to the left wing-back position. On the half hour mark however Haifa almost increased their lead only for Tenebaum to deny Yanick Wildschut who was sent clear through.
The first chance Maccabi had to score came on 35 as a corner fell into the path of Sabirit but the Spaniard failed to keep his shot down.
Three minutes later Maccabi cut the deficit as a quick exchange of passes between Dan Biton and Eyal Golasa released Eduardo Guerrero who kept his calm and fired his shot past Omri Glazer.
Second Half
Donis made two changes at the restart as Sheran Yeini and Guerrero were replaced by Maor Kandil and Aleksandar Pesic for his league debut.
Four minutes later Pesic came close as he was released into the area by Biton but the Serbian striker blasted his shot high over the crossbar and into the empty stand.
Mohamad Abu Fani flashed a shot over Tenebaum’s crossbar on 51 while Biton did the same at the opposite end seven minutes later. Donis added another attacking player as Yonatan Cohen replaced Golasa on the hour mark.
Saborit’s header from Biton’s free kick was caught by Glazer on 66 and Kandil sent a header wide a minute later. But in the 69th minute two of the substitutes combined for Maccabi’s equaliser. Hernandez sent a long chip to Kandil whose square ball from the byline was flicked home by Cohen.
Nick Blackman replaced Biton on the 80th minute and Ofir Davidzada came on for the tired Rikan a minute later.
The third successive league draw left Maccabi with three points from a possible 12, but now attention turns to the Europa League where Georgios Donis’s side travel to Villareal for a match between the two sides that have a 100% record
