Preview
Following last week’s 3-1 victory away to Ashdod and Wednesday’s State Cup Quarter Final victory over Maccabi Jaffa, Maccabi returned to Bloomfield stadium for the visit of Ironi Kiryat Shmona.
Coach Mladen Krstajic who gave a chance to several players against Jaffa in the Cup, made no less than 8 changes for the match against Kiryat Shmona that stretched Maccabi to extra time and a penalty shoot-out last month. Daniel Peretz returned to goal with Enric Saborit and Idan Nachmias lining-up as the two central defenders in-front of him. Andre Gerlades and Ofir Davidzada completed the back-four as the two full-backs on the right and left respectively.
Dan Glazer led the team out wearing the captain’s armband in the anchor-man role with Eden Shamir who scored one of last week’s goals against Ashdod, alongside him in the midfield engine room. Gabi Kanichowsky also returned to the side at the top of the three-man midfield with Dan Biton, and the other two scorers against Ashdod – Tal Ben Chaim and Stipe Perica upfront. New signing Djordje Jovanovic, who joined the club from Serbian outfit Cukaricki on Wednesday, was named in the squad waiting on the bench amongst the rest of the substitutes to make his Maccabi debut.
First Half
Maccabi began the match on the front foot threatening to try and carve an opening but all their attempts to breach Kiryat Shmona’s defence were thwarted by the visitors. Tal Ben Chaim and Ofir Davidzada on the left as well as Dan Biton Andre Geraldes on the right tried but couldn’t deliver a ball that released Stipe Perica. Gabi Kanichowsky and Eden Shamir also tried through the middle but couldn’t find a way past Kiryat Shmona’s midfield which was marshalled by former fellow teammate, Nadav Nidam, currently on loan at Kiryat Shmona.
The best chance of the opening stages fell in the 16th minute to Nidam, but the 20-year-old midfielder, flashed a shot across the face of Daniel Peretz’s goal. A minute later, Kiryat Shmona’s second on-loan player, Guy Mizrahi, went into the book of referee, David Fuxman, for a foul on Ben Chaim. In the 19th minute, Mizrahi was careful not to trip Ben Chaim in the box as he was turned by the Maccabi forward who sent a weak shot which was easily collected by Kiryat Shmona’s keeper Dziugas Bartkus.
In the 27th minute, Biton curled a left foot free kick from the corner of the area, but the diminutive midfielder’s shot crept to the wrong side of Bartkus’ post. Biton teed-up Perica in the 38th minute only to see the tall Croatian striker send a half-volley that didn’t trouble Bartkus too much.
Andre Gerlades and Eden Shamir combined well down the right on 41 but the Portuguese full-back’s square ball was cleared before any Maccabi player could get a touch. A minute later, good pressure from Glazer deep inside Kiryat Shmona’s half earned Perica the ball but with a powerful drive in the 42 minute resulted with Bartkus stretching himself to push the ball over the crossbar. Within a minute the Lithuanian keeper kept his team in the game once again, this time after a Davidzada chip released Ben Chaim but the powerful close range effort was denied by Bartkus’ feet. Inside added time, Dan Glazer rose high to meet a corner by Gabi Kanichowsky, yet the midfielder whose goals are a rare commodity, guided his header onto the roof of the net.
Second Half
With no changes at halftime, Maccabi began the second half with purpose and intention and reached two chances within the opening two minutes. In the 46th minute, a long Davidzada ball released Biton into the area before his claims for a penalty were waived by the referee and the VAR. A minute later Davidzada cut the ball back for Biton who couldn’t keep his shot down as the ball sailed high over the crossbar. Maccabi kept pressing in a bid to find an opening as Eden Shamir fired a shot wide of Bartkus’ goal on 51.
Mladen Krstajic made his first change right on the hour mark as Matan Hozez came in for Ben Chaim while Djordje Jovanovic was handed his Maccabi debut replacing Shamir. Three minutes after his introduction Jovanovic headed a Davidzada cross from the left that narrowly cleared the crossbar. Two minutes later, Biton blasted a shot that forced Bartkus to a double save as Maccabi kept increasing the pressure.
In the 68th minute however, the deadlock was finally broken as Biton played a pivotal part by exchanging passes with Perica before sliding the ball to Jovanovic who buried his shot into the bottom corner to celebrate his debut with a goal and set Bloomfield stadium alight.
Perica came close to double the score in the 77th as he was left unmarked inside the area to head a corner from close range wide of the post.
Krstajic made his third change in the 86th minute as Eyal Golasa replaced the tired Biton in midfield for the closing stages. Perica bowed out to a standing ovation as he was replaced in the 90th minute by Eylon Almog.
The final whistle ensured Maccabi’s victory that narrowed the gap from the leading duo to 8 points and stretched their lead from 4th place to five points – a week before facing Hapoel for the Tel Aviv derby.
