An extra ordinary start to the season
The 3-0 victory over Hapoel Hadera saw Maccabi top the table on MD1 and MD2 for the second season in succession. Throughout history, only Hapoel Petah Tikva achieved that in the 1959/60 and 1960/61 seasons.
This is the 22nd time Maccabi begins the season with 2 successive league victories (more than any other Israeli club). The 4-1 victory over Ashdod which was followed by the 3-0 win over Hadera set Maccabi’s goal tally on 7-1. Only the 1954/55 campaign as well as last season’s 11-1 saw Maccabi start a season better.
The international break halted Maccabi’s run from the start of the 2023/24 campaign of 10 matches in all competitions. Robbie Keane’s charges have an impressive unbeaten record of 8 victories and 2 draws. Arguably, Maccabi enjoyed a better start in the 1954/55 campaign (9 wins and 1 draw) as well as 2017/18 (9 wins and 1 defeat).
The goal tally from the opening 10 matches is 30-6, the best Maccabi had in their opening 10 matches since the 1954/55 season (40-8).
The dominance over Hadera
Maccabi has an extra ordinary record against Hapoel Hadera with 15 victories and a solitary draw from the 16 previous encounters between the two sides. This is the best record in Israel’s history for league encounters, equaling Maccabi Haifa’s record of 15 wins and a draw against Hapoel Petah Tikva between 1997 – 2002.
Hadera’s 3-0 defeat at Netanya was Maccabi’s 8th successive victory over the side which won promotion back to the top-flight six seasons ago. Seven successive victories whilst keeping a clean sheet against Hadera is another all time league record.
Zahavi’s numbers
Eran Zahavi scored his 10th goal this season in all competitions. The 36-year-old striker took his tally to 163 goals for Maccabi, 120 of which in the league, which places him 4th in the club’s all-time goal-scorers list.
Zahavi has a total of 147 league goals to his name, 2 goals short of entering the league’s Top 10 all-time goal scorers list.
