Ofir Davidzada faced the media at the end of Monday’s 1-1 draw against Maccabi Haifa that kept the status quo and Maccabi’s 10-point-lead at the top of the table. The 32-year-old full-back who returned to the left side of defense, said after the match: “I knew around lunchtime I was going to start. We are professional players, and it doesn’t make a difference if the decision is taken a few days before or on the day of the match. We have players here of the highest level who are ready at any given moment to step onto the pitch and give their 100%. I felt really well right from the start and I am delighted I had a good game.”
Davidzada, who had a first-half shot crash against the post, added: “We were a better side in the first half and in the second half we suffered a dip in form. We will analyze why it happened and where we went wrong for future matches. It was a match of guts. We all battled hard for the result. In order to continue our good season, we need to take the ability in the first half for the rest of the season. A draw is a fair result. We were excellent in the first half, we pressed, created chances, and moved the ball around. In then second half Haifa were the better side. It was a game of guts and sometimes one needs that as well to win a championship. It doesn’t always turn out as planned as this is part of football and at challenging times one needs to know to stand on your feet, protect the result and continue forward.”
