Preview
Maccabi Tel Aviv travelled up north for the MD16 ONE ZERO league encounter against Hapoel Kiryat Shmona, when they are placed second in the table with 35 points, ahead of Hapoel Be’ersheva on goal difference and four adrift of leaders Maccabi Haifa. A victory away to Kiryat Shmona could see Maccabi edge closer to the summit even temporarily as Haifa host Be’ersheva 24 hours later.
Last week’s 5-0 win over Hapoel Hadera at Bloomfield was Maccabi’s fourth league victory in succession and 11th of the season. In fact, the last time Maccabi dropped points and conceded a goal was before the World Cup break in November drawing 1-1 against Sektzia Ness Ziona who were then coached by Nir Berkovic. In his first match in charge last week, Berkovic, guided Kiryat Shmona to a dramatic draw away to Hapoel Jerusalem but the point gained wasn’t enough to lift the Northerners’ off the foot of the table.
Vladimir Ivic made four changes from the side which beat Hapoel Hadera some of which due to suspensions and injuries. With Shahar Piven and Enric Saborit both serving a one-match touchline ban for a red card and five bookings respectively, Ivic was forced to replace two of his three central defenders. Veteran skipper Sheran Yeini who scored a rare goal and Maccabi’s fifth against Hadera, returned to the starting line-up and led the team out with the captain’s armband. With Yeini replacing Saborit to the left of Derrick Luckassen, Nir Bitton slotted-in on the Dutchman’s right as the trio lined-up in front of goalkeeper Daniel Peretz. Maor Kandil who set-up two goals against Hadera, was named as the right wing-back while Yonatan Cohen returned to the starting line-up on the opposite left flank.
After making a substitute appearance last week, Gabi Kanichowsky, partnered Dor Peretz in Maccabi’s midfield engine room. Following his man-of-the-match performance at left wing-back last week, Parfait Guiagon returned to a more familiar role at the top of the midfield trio at the expense of Oscar Gloukh. Upfront, Eran Zahavi and Djordje Jovanovic who scored 7 and 8 league goals respectively – will aim to continue their successful partnership which saw the team score 37 goals so far this season.
On the bench, alongside goalkeeper Daniel Tenenbaum, Ivic named Dan Glazer, Oscar Gloukh, Joris van Overeem, Eyal Golasa, Ofir Davidzada, Andre Geraldes, Dor Turgeman and Matan Hozez.
First Half
Maccabi began the match on the front foot as Vladimir Ivic’s side could have scored twice in the opening two minutes. A Maccabi attack which began with Sheran Yeini down the left flank ended up with a Djordje Jovanovic forcing Dziugas Bartkus to a reflex finger-tip save pushing the Serbian forward’s effort over the crossbar. Kiryat Shmona struggled to clear the resulting corner before Eran Zahavi’s square ball across the face of goal reached Yonatan Cohen who somehow managed to send his shot crashing against the base of the post from almost point blank range. Maccabi continued their blitz in the sixth minute as Kanichowsky had his initial shot blocked before Cohen miscued the rebound wide of the target. Before ten minutes had passed, Maccabi came centimetres away from breaking the deadlock as Kanichowsky curled a right foot shot which narrowly missed Bartkus’ top corner.
At the opposite end, a last gasp Kandil tackle in the 12th minute, denied Kiryat Shmona from taking the lead against the run of play as Maccabi’s full back denied Itamar Shviro from getting on the end of a Joseph Mbong cross. Parfait Guiagon who started this match at the top of the midfield trio, exchanged passes in the 14th minute with Kanichowsky but the Ivorian’s shot from the edge of the area sailed high and wide.
The action continued at both ends of the pitch as a Timothy Muzie counter attack exposed Maccabi’s defence before Dor Peretz was forced to launch himself and deflect Mbong’s shot for a corner.
Bartkus came to Kiryat Shmona’s rescue right on the half hour mark after the Lithuanian keeper stretched himself to push Jovanovic’s fierce drive following a Kandil cut back.
In the 38th minute Jovanovic seemed to have managed to force his way through the middle of the hosts defence, but a Kiryat Shmona defender tugged his shirt a fact which took the sting out of the Maccabi striker’s shot. Two minutes later Kiryat Shmona took the lead as Shaker picked the ball up just inside Maccabi’s area, dribbled towards the centre of the box before unleashing a powerful left foot strike which gave Daniel Peretz no chance.
Maccabi’s claims for a penalty after Samuel Broun went down for a sliding tackle and appeared to have handled the ball in the process – were waved by referee Idan Leiba as even VAR didn’t intervene. Guiagon missed the target with right foot shot from the edge of the area on the stroke of halftime. Seconds later the Ivorian sent a dangerous square ball which Zahavi couldn’t reach and Bartkus collected on his line as Leiba’s halftime whistle sent both teams to regroup in the dressing rooms.
Second Half
The second half began where the first one left off as Maccabi applied most of the pressure while Kiryat Shmona looked dangerous from counter attacks. Dor Peretz became the first player to be booked by Leiba for a foul on Muzie in the 48th minute. Zahavi’s claims for a penalty on 53 after he appeared to have been nudged down by Noam Cohen were also waved by Leiba and at the opposite end Kiryat Shmona almost doubled their lead as Mbong curled a shot which narrowly missed Peretz’s goal.
Three minutes later however Maccabi were back on level terms through Jovanovic who scored Maccabi’s equaliser at the end of well-worked team effort. Kanichowsky floated a perfect diagonal ball towards the far post where Kandil ghosted unmarked and with one touch set up Jovanovic who blasted in the equalizer to the roof of the net.
Ivic reacted almost instantly as he made a double substitution with Cohen and Guiagon bowing out and being replaced by Matan Hozez and Oscar Gloukh.
The 3200 Maccabi travelling fans were on their feet in the 69th minute as they thought that Jovanovic converted his second following a Kanichowsky cross. But out of nowhere Noam Cohen slid-in to hook the ball from the goalmouth and out for a corner. Zahavi was left unmarked by Kiryat Shmona’s defence to head the resulting corner but the veteran marksman sent his header to the wrong side of the post.
In the 83rd minute Bartkus pulled a double save to keep out a Kanichowsky shot, and before Jovanovic pounced on the rebound, the Lithuanian custodian managed to kick the ball out. Ivic made his third substitution as the tired Kandil was replaced by Ofir Davidzada .
The longer the clock kept ticking Maccabi continued to push forward as Gloukh danced his way into the area passed no less than four Kiryat Shmona defenders on 87. But Zahavi wasted the chance as he sent Gloukh’s cut-back over the bar.
Bartkus kept Kiryat Shmona in the game once again as he managed to parry out Gloukh’s fierce drive in the 90th minute before a defender prevented Jovanovic from tucking in the rebound. The fourth official indicated seven minutes of added time as Maccabi kept pushing forward. In a last throw of the dice Ivic introduced young Dor Turgeman for Zahavi hoping the 18-year-old striker could score the winner. Maccabi threw everything forward but time after time Bartkus and Kiryat Shmona’s defence managed to hang on.
Deep inside injury time, Yeini headed a Hozez corner and as the ball shaved the top of the crossbar it was clearly proved that it wasn’t going to be Maccabi’s night. The point gained took Maccabi’s point tally to 36 and ended 2022 with a long trip back to Tel Aviv knowing it was rather two points dropped.
