Preview:
Having secured qualification to the inaugural Europa league phase, Maccabi turned their attention to the domestic league as they arrived at Hamoshava stadium for their MD2 match against Maccabi Petah Tikva. Following the postponement of the match against Hapoel Jerusalem, this match will open Maccabi’s 2024/25 league campaign.
For his league debut as Maccabi’s Head Coach, Zarko Lazetic, made several changes from the side that won convincingly in Serbia on Thursday.
Roi Mishpati kept his place in goal with Tyrese Asante and Raz Shlomo as the two central defenders in front of him. Sagiv Jehezkel and Ofir Davidzada were named as the two full-backs on the right and left respectively to complete Maccabi’s defensive line.
Issouf Sissokho was slotted into the anchorman role right behind Gabi Kanichowsky and Dor Peretz to form the midfield trio. Hisham Layous on one wing and Osher Davida on the other supplied the width with Eran Zahavi leading the line and the team out wearing the captain’s armband.
On the bench amongst the substitutes, Lazetic, named new signing Nemanja Stojic alongside Ofek Melika, Roy Revivo, Idan Nachmias, Dor Turgeman, Joris van Overeem, Elad Madmon, Henry Addo and Ido Shahar.
Prior to kickoff a minute of silence was observed in memory of the 6 hostages who were murdered in Gaza earlier this week.
First half
The team, were welcomed onto the pitch by a sea of color and a wall of noise as Maccabi’s fans turned up in numbers to create a home atmosphere.
Maccabi began the match with all guns blazing as in the third minute Hisham Layous was sent down the left before cutting the ball back from Eran Zahavi whose effort crept wide of the post. Less than a minute later, Zahavi sent Layous charging down the wing before his square ball picked Osher Davida at the far post.
The 23-year-old winger, flicked with his backheel and as the ball seemed to go in off the post but was cleared by Petah Tikva’s keeper Marco Wolf in what seemed like behind his goal-line. Yet referee Snir Levy and his assistant thought otherwise while VAR didn’t have a clear-cut visual to correct and award Davida the goal. Dor Peretz twisted inside the area and sent a powerful left foot drive that sailed wide of the target in the 10th minute. Maccabi kept pinning the hosts inside their own half as Kanichowsky and Issouf Sissokho seemed to have chocked all their attempts to even cross the halfway line.
In the 14th minute Maccabi had two glorious chances to score in a matter of seconds as Kanichowsky slid the ball to Peretz whose attempt to flick it over the advancing Wolf was blocked by the keeper. Zahavi then met Sagiv Jehezkel’s pinpoint cross with a header which found the keeper well positioned once again.
Kanichowsky (19) and Raz Shlomo (25) saw their efforts narrowly miss the target as Maccabi kept charging forward trying to carve an opening. Less than a minute later Wolf couldn’t hold onto Davida’s left foot curler but managed to recover in time with a double save before Zahavi could reach the rebound.
In the 31st minute however Petah Tikva’s defense crumbled under Maccabi’s pressure as the deadlock was finally broken. Layous and Davida forced a mistake from the hosts’ defense in the corner of the area before the ball reached Kanichowsky. The diminutive midfielder cut inside exchanged passes with Peretz and with a low left foot shot found the bottom corner to score his first goal of the campaign.
In the 34th minute Kanichowsky suffered a dead leg after being hit by a mistimed Tamir Glazer tackle. Maccabi doubled their lead on 42 as Davida dribbled into the box from the right leaving Yarden Cohen flat on his back. Davida’s cut-back found Peretz who miscued his attempt of a shot which fell to Layous who swept the ball home to score his debut Maccabi goal.
Two minutes after the goal Kanichowsky signaled to the bench he can’t continue as he was replaced by Ido Shahar.
Second Half
Petah Tikva’s coach Dan Roman made a double change at the restart in a bid to try and stop Maccabi’s total dominance. In the 56th minute a mistake by Jehezkel gifted Luka Stor a great chance to cut the deficit but the Petah Tikva Slovenian forward sent his shot wide of Mishpati’s goal. Three minutes later Mishpati was beaten by a Liran Hazan shot from inside the area, but the ball rattled his crossbar before the danger was cleared.
In the 65th minute Maccabi increased their lead as Shlomo rose high above Petah Tikva’s defense to head in Shahar’s corner and set the score on 3-0.
Zahavi and Layous both bowed out on 67 and were replaced by Henry Addo and Dor Turgeman. Idan Nachmias and Elad Madmon came on for Jehezkel and Peretz as Lazetic used all five of his substitutions in the 79th minute.
Inside injury time Sissokho carved Petah Tikva’s defense to release Madmon who unleashed an unstoppable drop kick that hit the back of the net. But the young forward who scored his debut Maccabi goal against TSC will have to wait before opening his league account as the goal was disallowed for offside.
