Preview

A month after the Super Cup against Maccabi Petah Tikva and in the middle of a European campaign, Maccabi returned to Bloomfield stadium for the Toto Cup Semi Final against Bnei Sakhnin.

Three days after securing a place in the Europa League Playoff with a 5-1 aggregate victory over FK Panevezys and four days before hosting TSC Backa Topola for the first leg in Hungary, Maccabi turned their attention to their domestic campaign.

Zarko Lazetic who will compete with his former club over a two-legged tie for the right to reach the Europa League group stage – would try guide his charges to their first final of the season. Lazetic made 11 changes from the side that won 3-0 at the Haladas stadium last week as Ofek Melika was handed his debut appearance in goal. Tyrese Asante and Matan Baltaxa lined-up in front of the young keeper with Avishay Cohen on the right and Roy Revivo on the left completing Maccabi’s defensive line. Issouf Sissokho who made a second half substitute appearance against Panevezys, was handed his debut start in the anchorman role. Ido Shahar and Dan Biton completed Maccabi’s engine room allowing Joris van Overeem, Gabi Kanichowsky and Dor Peretz and much needed rest. While Van Overeem was left out of the squad both Peretz and Kanichowsky were named amongst the substitutes. Elad Madmon who was signed earlier last year but only joined the club recently at the end of Israel’s Olympic campaign, had his first outing in a Maccabi shirt. With Madmon on one wing Henry Addo was named on the opposite flank. Eran Zahavi led the line and the team out wearing the captain’s armband.

On the substitutes bench alongside Peretz and Kanichowsy, Lazetic, named Roy Mishpati, Idan Nachmias, Dor Turgeman, Raz Shlomo, Hisham Layous, Nir Bitton and Osher Davida

First Half

Maccabi began the match on the front foot with Elad Madmon not showing any signs that this is his Maccabi debut. The young forward was adamant to show his presence early on as three minutes from the start he blasted a tried right foot shot that sailed over from the edge of the area. Five minutes later Dan Biton slipped the ball to Madmon who skipped past Itay Ben Hemo to break into the box before forcing Mohamad Abu Nil to make his first save. In the 11th minute Maccabi continued to press Sakhnin inside their own half and were awarded a free kick after Issouf Sissokho was tripped. The combination of Biton and Madmon ended with the ball in the back of the net as the midfielder’s cross was headed in by Madmon at the far post. But Madmon’s celebrations of a debut goal and a dream debut were short lived as VAR intervened and disallowed the goal.

Ido Shahar came close in the 15th minute as the midfielder picked the ball just inside Sakhnin’s half, charged through the middle and rifled a shot that narrowly missed the target. Henry Addo on the opposite left flank cut inside on 26 and pulled his trigger but his effort was blocked by a defender allowing Abu Nil to collect with ease. Three minutes after the half hour mark Eran Zahavi had the ball in the back of the net once again as the veteran forward met Avishay Cohen’s cross with a perfect overhead kick. But once again this goal was disallowed for offside denying Maccabi’s captain one of the early contenders for the goal of the season. Cohen tried his luck with a fierce drive from outside the box but Abu Nil equaled the shot to keep his goal locked.

On the stroke of halftime Sissokho broke into the box before teeing-up Zahavi whose left foot shot was blocked before it could reach the target.

Second Half

With no changes to either side at the interval, Maccabi began the second half just like the first. Biton drilled a left foot shot and Abu Nil who made the initial save was assisted by his defense to clear the danger before Shahar could reach the rebound. A minute after the hour mark Lazetic made a double change as Madmon bowed out to be replaced by Dor Peretz while Osher Davida came on for Biton. A minute later Maccabi came close to break the deadlock as Roy Revivo released Zahavi whose effort missed the target.

Maccabi continued to pile on the pressure as Addo charged in from the left and cut the ball back for Sissokho whose shot was blocked by a Sakhnin defender. Osher Melika who wasn’t required to do much during the game pulled two good saves in the space of five minutes. Melika was alert on 66 to punch away Omer Abuhab dangerous shot from the right on 66. Melika was then required to fully stretch himself to palm out Ahmed Salman’s curling shot from the left. In the 75^th minute, Lazetic made another double change with Matan Baltaxa replaced by Raz Shlomo and Hisham Layous coming on for Addo.

Layous almost made an immediate impact as he fired a shot from the tightest of angles that almost caught Abu Nil by surprise. When it seemed as if the match would be decided by a penalty shoot-out Layous fed Revivo on 83 before he was tripped by a Iad Abu Abid. Referee Orel Greenfeld didn’t hesitate as he awarded a penalty before Zahavi stepped up kept his calm and blasted the spot kick into the top corner to put Maccabi in front. Zahavi came off to a standing ovation with Dor Turgeman introduced for the closing stages. The young striker made an immediate impact as seconds after his introduction Turgeman charged from the halfway line and released Layous. The pacey winger skipped past the advancing Abu Nil but with the goal at his mercy saw his shot rattle the framework.

The fourth official signaled for six 6 minutes of added time as Maccabi charged forward in a bid to double the scored and seal the win. Layous cut the ball back for Turgeman whose initial effort from the center of the area was saved by Abu Nil. Turgeman pounced on the rebound but was pushed in the back by Ben Hemo leaving Grinfield with no other choice but to award Maccabi another penalty and send the Sakhnin defender for an early shower. Turgeman’s weak penalty was saved by Abu Nil but less than a minute later Maccabi celebrated their second goal. Sissokho carved Sakhnin’s defense open to find Turgeman, who’s perfectly weighed pass allowed Davida to find the bottom far corner with a clinical finish. Sakhnin managed to cut the deficit through Abdalla Khlaikhal who headed in past Melika to make it 2-1 and deny the young keeper a perfect night.

Having booked their place in the Toto Cup Final where they face Maccabi Haifa for a repeat of last season’s final, Maccabi can now focus on TSC Backa Topola and their bid to secure a place in the Europa League.

Maccabi secured a European group phase last night following the 5-1 aggregate victory over FK Panevezys but for Nir Bitton it was an extremely emotional night. The 32-year-old defender who was introduced as a second half substitute at the Haladas stadium in Szombathely, Hungary, made his first return to action since suffering a knee injury in December last year. After the match, Bitton spoke of the 7.5 months he spent on the sidelines and thanked all the staff members who supported him on the way to recovery.

“I am delighted the coach gave me that opportunity as this was a small gift after seven and a half months of daily hard work. I am very happy and emotional” Bitton said.

He then thanked the entire medical staff that helped him on the way to recovery: “This entire recent period was coordinated with the coach and the medical staff to introduce me at the right moment. He (Lazetic) spoke with me yesterday and informed me that of the result would allow he would bring me on. I would really like to pay tributes to the medical staff at Maccabi Tel Aviv. By far the best medical staff in Israel without a shadow of a doubt. Starting with the doctor (Dr. Dror Lindner) who besides the fact that in my opinion is the best doctor in Israel, he is also a unique personality and a person who is really fun to work with, be with and treated by. All the physios who worked under him and with me throughout this challenging period also need more than a mention. Sagiv (Mizrahi) who in the first 3 months I saw him more than my wife and kids, and Ravid (Atias) who I later worked on the pitch with as well as Yossi Zigdon who supervises everyone. Yoni (Hernowitz), Amiram (Muyal), Snir (Kunik), Ofir (Mann) and please forgive me if I forgot anyone as I don’t have enough words of gratitude to thank them all. Besides being top professionals, they are all amazing people who are always approachable as they all supported me even when I had tough days and there were plenty. I would like to say thank you to all of them as I really appreciate them all. That is it now the season is starting.”

Ahead of next week’s fixture schedule that starts off with a Toto Cup Semi Final against Bnei Sakhnin and continues with the Europa League Playoff, Bitton added: “We have Backa Topola in the next round but first we have Bnei Sakhnin because when you are at a club like Maccabi Tel Aviv you want to win every possible title. As far as we are concerned we have the Toto Cup Final on Sunday which is a great chance to reach the final and challenge for another trophy.”

Bitton and the team will return to Israel after a 10-day spell which was spent abroad between the first leg in Lithuania and the return leg in Hungary as he reflected on the return home: “First I would like to return to my kids and my wife. We haven’t seen them for a long while and missed our families a lot. To return to Bloomfield after such a long period would be exciting and fun. Obviously we would like to play our European matches infront of our fans but sadly there are more important things in life and we must play and deal with what we have.

At the moment these seem like trivial issues as we try make everyone as happy and as proud as we possibly can so let’s just pray for these days to be over”.

The 23-year-old who scored against FK Panevezys on the way to a 3-0 victory and a 5-1 aggregate win over the Lithuanians at the Haladas stadium said: “I am delighted to score at the start of the season as it will give me plenty of confidence and hunger to do more in the future. I am happy we won and qualified to the next stage in Europe which is the most important thing” Davida said, “We haven’t achieved a thing yet and we nust do everything to be prepared for next week so we can qualify for the Europa League group stage.”

On playing in front of an empty stadium in Hungary and the prospect of playing at Bloomfield in the Semi Final of the Toto Cup, Davida added: “We walked onto the pitch and there was no noise which is the thing I missed most. I hope that on Sunday against Sakhnin it will be different as they would come to support us at Bloomfield. For me this will be the first time at Bloomfield this season and I hope they will come and create a good atmosphere.”

“We have a new coach and new players” Davida replied when asked to compare this season with last year, “I am happy with the squad we have as there are loads of good players with plenty of matches so everyone will get to play. I believe in this squad and think we can do an even better season than last year”

Preview

Maccabi arrived at the Halads stadium in Szombathely Hungary for the Europa League 3rd qualifying round return leg against FK Panevezys with a 2-1 lead from last week’s match in Vilnius. Knowing that a victory over the Lithuanian champions will see his side through to the Playoff stage where his former club TSC Backa Topola awaits, Maccabi’s Head Coach Zarko Lazetic had more than qualification to look forward to. Lazetic made one change from last week’s starting eleven as defender Tyrese Asante was put serving a one-match touchline ban. Idan Nachmias moved across the back to partner Raz Shlomo at the heart of defence while Sagiv Jehezkel dropped back to the right back role. Ofir Davidzada completed Lazetic’s back-four that lined up in front of goalkeeper Roi Mishpati. Maccabi’s engine room remained unchanged as Joris van Overeem occupied the anchorman role while Gabi Kanichowsky and Dor Peretz completed the midfield trio. After his substitute appearance in Vilnius, Osher Davida was named by Lazetic as Jehezkel’s replacement on the right wing with Hisham Layous on the opposite flank. Upfront, Lazetic continued with Dor Turgeman after the 20-year-old forward scored one of Maccabi’s goals against Panevezys.

On the bench Lazetic named goalkeeper Roi Melika, Avishay Cohen, Roy Revivo, Eran Zahavi, Dan Biton, Yonas Malede, Elad Madmon, Henry Addo, Issouf Sissokho, Matan Baltaxa, Ido Shahar and Nir Bitton.

First Half

Dor Turgeman threatened to draw first blood inside the second minute as the 20-year-old striker created himself the time and space on the edge Panevezys penalty area but his shot sailed high and wide. Both teams struggled to create a clear chance but in the 14th minute Maccabi came centimeters away from breaking the deadlock. Turgeman slipped the ball to Dor Peretz who timed his run into the box before sending a toe poke that flashed across the face of goal and narrowly missed the target. 

Maccabi continued pushing forward trying to carve an opening as Layous teed-up Kanichowsky on 31 but once again the midfielder’s shot lacked accuracy. Five minutes after the half hour mark Ofir Davidzada exchanged passes with Layous to break clear through but his attempt of a cut-back was blocked by a defender the danger was cleared. Two minutes later Peretz tried pulling the trigger from outside the box but the Maccabi skipper had his shot blocked by his Lithuanian counterpart Linas Klimavicius who consequently required medical treatment.

Inside injury time Davida found Turgeman in the box as the forward managed turn shield the ball in an attempt to pick Peretz’s run before the defense managed to clear for a corner. The resulting corner saw Maccabi take the lead as the ball fell to Peretz who nodded it home to increase the lead to 3-1 on aggregate.

Second Half

Four minutes after the restart Turgeman came close to double Maccabi’s lead as he was given a sight on goal in but sent his effort agonizingly wide. Four minutes later Maccabi got their goal in spectacular style as Davida broke in from the right exchanged passes with Peretz to cut through the visitors’ defense. The pacey winger beat another defender before drilling in his shot past the keeper to make it 4-1 on aggregate. Lazetic made a triple substitution in the 63rd minute as Issouf Sissokho was handed his Maccabi debut replacing van Overeem, Ido Shahar came on for Kanichowsky while Henry Addo replaced Layous.

In the 70th minute the tie was put to bed as Peretz’s cross was flicked by Turgeman but blocked by a Panevezys defender before Jehezkel pounced on the rebound to fire in Maccabi’s third goal.

Lazetic made a double change on 73 as Nir Bitton returned to the European scene having recovered from a long term knee injury while Eran Zahavi was given 15 minutes to make an impact coming on for Turgeman. Roi Mishpati was drawn into the action in the 76th minute as he was at full stretch to keep out Noel Mbo’s powerful header. With the tie clearly beyond Panevezys’ reach Maccabi tried increasing their lead as Davida who kept tormenting his opposite number struck the side netting once again in the 80th minute. Idan Nachmias, who stepped into the right-back position instead of Jehezkel, sent a header on target which was caught by the keeper on 82.

The 2024/25 campaign will be the 54^th season of UEFA’s secondary Cup competition and the 16^th season under the branding of ‘The Europa League’.

The Europa League was rebranded and updated ahead of the 2009/10 season to a format of 3 phases: 4 preliminary qualification rounds, a Group stage (which as of this season will include 8 matches for each team) followed by a knock-out phase.

Of the 16 seasons of the Europa League – Maccabi participated in 10 whilst qualifying to the Group Stages on 5 occasions. Maccabi advanced past the group stages on 2 occasions facing FC Basel (2013/14) and Shakhtar Donetsk (2020/21) in the Europa League Round of 32.

In both the qualifying matches and Europa League group stages Maccabi featured 75 times with a total record of 35 victories, 25 defeats and 15 draws.

As of this season Maccabi played 6 times in the Europa League 3^rd qualifying round phase before advancing on 5 attempts: Olympiacos (2010/11), FK Željezničar (2011/12) CS Pandurii (2016/17), Panionios FC (2017/18), FC Pyunik Yerevan (2018/19). Maccabi were also eliminated at this stage once by Lithuanian side FK Suduva (2019/20).

The defeat in the tie against Suduva was Maccabi’s only defeat in the four encounters with Lithuanian sides. In the old UEFA Cup Maccabi advanced past FBK Kaunas (1999/00) and Zalgiris Vilnius (2001/02). In the 2020/21 Champions league qualifying campaign Maccabi advanced past Suduva in the 2^nd qualifying round.

The record of Israeli sides against Lithuanian teams currently stands on 8 victories, 2 draws and 4 defeats with a total goal record of 26-11.

Gabi Kanichowsky has yet to open his account in terms of goals at the 2024/25 campaign but the 26-year-old midfielder is on a mission to help the side advance to the next stage of the Europa League.

The 2-1 victory in Lithuania last week is only a narrow lead as Kanichowsy highlights the fact the job is far from complete: “It is definitely not over yet” he said at the pre match press conference at the Haldas stadium in Szombathely, Hungary. We opened the first half of the first leg really well, took the game by storm” he says about Maccabi’s two-goal lead inside the opening minutes. “But in the second half we got a little tired which leaves us with a point to prove tomorrow. This match is extremely important for the rest of our journey as well.”

The fact Panevezys scored a consolation goal which placed Maccabi under pressure in the closing stages last week, still lives fresh in Kanichowsky’s memory as he said: “We were under pressure in the final twenty minutes which leads to me waiting for tomorrow’s match to kick off. We need to prove ourselves once again. There is plenty to show and prove that the 2-1 wasn’t enough. We had great start but then our form dipped which leaves us with tomorrow to make amends”

On the past week the team spent outside Israel preparing for the match in Hungary, Kanichowsky added: “It was difficult to leave all our families behind but we have a good opportunity tomorrow to secure a group stage berth and do something good for our country and in particular the Maccabi fans. Last aeason we had a very successful campaign. I think that this season we are disappointed we didn’t qualify for the Champions League but the target both the players and coaching staff have is reaching the Europa League. First and foremost we must complete tomorrow’s task.”