March 9, 2008: Bloomfield Stadium. Maccabi Tel Aviv hosted the last Derby of the season in front of over 15K fans in a contest that opened up with a goal by the Reds. Tal Hen beat Dragoslav Jeveric in the 6th minute thanks to a header by Walid Badir which heated up the stadium.

Maccabi began pressing hard for a goal and in the 42nd minute, the Yellow & Blue found a gorgeous marker after a terrific passing play by Rudi Hadad and Alain Masoudi who back heeled the ball to Yannick Kaman. The latter put the ball into the corner of the goal to send the Maccabi fans into ecstasy. Over the course of the second half the hosts looked for a winner but couldn’t beat the Reds keeper. But in the 82nd minute, coach Nir Levin inserted Yossi Shivchon into the match. How did it end? Watch

Ten year old Dor Micha:

Where did you live?
Givatayim, there was one year that we moved to Tel Aviv, but when I was 10 we lived in Givatayim and everyone from my childhood called me Micha.

Where did you go to school?
I went to the Borcov School in Givatayim

Who was your favorite player
Avi Nimni, that’s easy.

Best friend
“I have three, Omer Hazmoni, Itay Levin and Dan Goldfinger. We have been friends since kindergarten. I want to take the opportunity to say hi.”

First love
“Shani”

If I gave you 100 NIS what would you buy?
“Candy at Leon’s Kiosk right by Borcov.

Where did you like to hang out?
“At the Borcov field, it was the best field we had.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv?
“It’s the team I rooted for and I was playing for, it was my dream to play for Maccabi.”

Did you have an animal?
“We had a dog by the name of Candy.”

Trip outside of Israel?
“I wasn’t 10 but when I was 12 we went to Amsterdam with the whole family to see Maccabi play at Ajax.”

What did you detest?
“Homework”

Favorite TV Show?
“Arthur, just like everyone else”

Favorite singer?
“Will Smith”

Yellow & Blue central defender Eitan Tibi answered the questions you asked him on the Official Maccabi Tel Aviv Facebook Page. Let’s check them out:

Yarin Partok asks how do you feel every time there is criticism levied against the defense?

“It’s always great to get compliments but unfortunately we don’t get them that often. As a defender we rarely get good feedback and when we give up goals we get blamed. I hope that everyone will appreciate the defenders a bit more in the near future.”

Rani Mendo wanted to know which game was his favorite and why?

“There’s been so many great moments which I’ve enjoyed over the past four years with Maccabi Tel Aviv and this year being my fifth we advanced to the Europa League. There are so many great games to choose from like the Derby in my first year that we won 4:2, to the Treble season and the Champions League campaign. There have been so many I can just hope and pray that there will be more.”

Roie Probovskin asked Eitan which was his best season?

“I would say my first year at Maccabi which was so successful both for me personally as well as for the Club. I came in as a pretty anonymous player but made my mark and the fans appreciated me.”

Haim Ezra was curious to know why he doesn’t go on the attack more often and score some goals?

“It’s definitely part of the game that I am missing and I would really like to score as we need some goals. I hope that this will come soon and I know that by scoring I can also help my Club.”

Moshe Ben Lulu asked about his desire to want to become the best defender in Israel all the way back when he was 14 or 15 years old and continuously practiced to do just that?

“When I was 14 years old I was with Beitar Haifa and my mother really pushed me to go there. I had a good feeling about the whole situation and I told my mother that I was going to be a professional footballer. I worked very hard and I pushed myself with private coaches or by myself after regular training sessions along with being first to arrive and last to leave which is due to this day. I have the drive to be the best that I can be.”

Stadium: Sala (10,000 seats)

Coach: Yuval Naim

With a record of just one win and five losses against Maccabi, Yuval Naim and his squad will arrive at the Netanya Stadium on Matchday 12 for yet another clash with the Yellow & Blue.

Naim (49) has done plenty since retiring as an active player back in 2001. The coach has been in charge of six clubs and since 2014 has been the head coach at Ashkelon moving up two leagues in two seasons, now featuring in the Ligat Ha’Al. In 2014/15 he led Ashkelon to the Toto Cup title in the Leumit League.

Comings & Goings

There are plenty of familiar faces who have made their way from Kiryat Shalom to Ashkelon, from veterans Baruch Dego and Rudy Haddad to youngsters Moshiko Lugassi and Matan Hozez. Over the summer the side added the likes of Isso Lingane, Pedro Galvan, Dele Aiyenugba, Tomer Suissa and Reef Peretz.

What have we had up until now?

Ashkelon finds itself mired in last place with only 7 points, claiming the League’s worst goal differential allowing 24 markers to only scoring 7. The southern squad opened the year up with a dramatic victory defeating Hapoel Haifa thanks to a hattrick by Lingane. Since the win they have picked up four draws and six losses as Naim’s Club will be in the relegation battle all season long.

History in Short

Amir Shelach was born in 1970 and went through the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department, however his first steps as a professional footballer were with Maccabi Herzliya in the 1989-90 season. The following summer at the age of 20, he returned to the Yellow & Blue and earned a starting central defender position where he proved himself worthy and kept his spot throughout the campaign.

His big breakthrough came in the championship season of 1991/92 when he missed only one out of 43 matches in all competitions. Shelach firmly implanted himself as a strong and quick central defender with an excellent defensive game.

Along with Gadi Brumer, the pair became known as the best central defenders in Israeli football and also appeared for the Israel National Team. In 1993/94 Shelach won his first State Cup and the following season he picked up his second league championship under the tutelage of Avram Grant. The 1995/96 campaign was Shelach’s best ever as he helped coach Dror Kashtan the squad capture the coveted double while only dropping one match all season long.

Shelach departed Maccabi Tel Aviv at the end of the 1997/98 season and returned for a second stint with the club in 2000/01 when he picked up another State Cup, this time with coach Nir Levin. All in all, Shelach made 349 appearances in the Yellow & Blue of Maccabi Tel Aviv across all competitions, scored five goals, won three State Cups and two league titles.

Top Moment

After turning into one of the top defenders during the Yellow & Blue’s golden era of the 1990’s, he was not only a defensive rock but also scored a fantastic goal during the 1995/96 campaign. The strike came against Maccabi Petach Tikva in a 3:0 win during a period when many key players were missing due to the events that occurred in the game against Hapoel Haifa on Matchday Four when Alon Brumer was injured. Watch the goal

Titles & Championships

League Championships: 1991/92, 1994/95, 1995/96

State Cups: 1993/94, 1995/96, 2001/02

Stadium: Moshava (11,500)

Coach: Kobi Refuah

The coach who grew up in the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department won a Toto Cup with the club before retiring as a professional footballer in 2005. He immediately joined Maccabi Petach Tikva as a coach in the Youth Department leading the Under-19 team. In 2013/14 Refuah was an assistant coach under Itav Luzon with the First Team and following that season he returned to coach the Youth Club.

Last season, Refuah moved to coach Maccabi Shearaim and in the middle of the season departed to coach Kiryat Shemona who were in danger of being relegated, however he successfully passed the test and kept the northern side afloat in the Ligat Ha’Al. Refuah came back to Petach Tikva this past summer and was named Head Coach.

Comings & Goings

Maccabi Petach Tikva had plenty of changes over the offseason starting with the acquisition of keeper Dani Amos who had been with Hapoel Akko last season before being relegated to the Leumit League at the end of the campaign. Petach Tikva strengthened its midfield as Romario Pires came over from Maccabi Haifa and Leroy Tzeiri from Beitar Jerusalem. Romanian Mihai Roman and Spaniards Aitor Monroy and Carlos Cuellar also joined the ranks of the Luzon family outfit plus striker Oz Oeretz also returned to the club.

On the flip side, Dor Hugi, Roie Gordana, Joe Mununga, Vazquez Hatozim and Rada Prica who returned to Sweden all left the team.

What have we had so far this season

Maccabi Tel Aviv’s first Israeli opponent this season was Maccabi Petach Tikva in the Toto Cup group stages as Eden Ben Basat scored to give the Yellow & Blue a 1:0 victory. The Toto Cup holders were subsequently eliminated from the competition after finishing in second to last place in Group B.

Refuah’s team began the Ligat Ha’Al campaign with a point after a dramatic draw with Beitar Jerusalem while on Matchday Three Petach Tikva moved to the top of the table with a 2:0 win over Hapoel Tel Aviv. Following a 5:0 blowout loss to Hapoel Beer Sheva, the club got right back onto the winning track with a 4:1 win over Bnei Yehuda. After eight Machdays, Petach Tikva sits in second place with 17 out of 24 points for a 75% success rate – a number that the team hasn’t seen in years.

Under the magnifying glass: Gidi Kanuk

The Petach Tikva midfielder began his career in the Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Department and moved to Petach Tikva at the age of 14. Kabul has opened the season extremely well and has turned into one of the most dangerous players on Refuah’s squad scoring 4 goals. The 23 year old is very quick on the ball and knows how to finish when presented with the opportunity.