The Under-19 side visited Hadera on Matchday 17 of the Israel Youth Premier League. The first match between the two sides ended in a 2:0 Yellow & Blue win. Guy Tzarfati’s squad were in 2nd place just five points off the top of the table while Hadera were in 10th place.

Guy Tzarfati’s Starting XI: Or Itzhak, Michael Chilaka, Alon Shtrozberg, Amit Glezer, Tomer Mahluf, Tamir Glezer, Omri Ram, Ido Shahar, Eduardo Guerrero, Bar Cohen, Tal Yagudaev.

First Half
After a slow start to the half, Maccabi “Shachar” found the back of the goal in the 12’. Mahluf crossed the ball into the box directly to Ram who was free to head it home past the Hadera keeper for a 1:0 lead. Maccabi had a chance in the 16’ when Chilaka sent a cross to Yagudaev but his attempt went out.

In the 24’ Cohen gave a tremendous through ball to Guerrero but his opportunity was blocked by Hadera keeper Amit Sarusi. Sixteen minutes later Hadera gave Itzhak a scare but the Yellow & Blue keeper was able to make the save and send his side into the break ahead 1:0.

Second Half
Hadera had the opening chance of the second half when Atlanta Tipfulos’s attempt went over the bar. However in the 52’ Maccabi doubled their advantage via a penalty kick. Cohen was pulled down in the box and Guerrero sent home the spot kick from 11 meters to give the Yellow & Blue a 2:0 lead.

Shahar received a nice ball in the 53’ but his attempt just went by the post and in the 68’ Cohen’s opportunity missed the goals by just a centimeter. In the 83’ Gil Ben Shalosh sent Rave Assayag the ball and put it over the keeper but went over the goal and a minute later Mufleh Shalata’s chance was saved by the Hadera keeper as Maccabi wrapped up a 2:0 win.

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv 0:3 Beitar Jerusalem (U19)
The Under-19 side fell to Beitar Jerusalem to end the first round of matches but are still in second place, 5 points away from table leaders Maccabi Petah Tikva. For the Match report Click Here.

Bnei Yehuda 0:2 Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv (U17)
Eliezer Ben Aharon’s squad continued its fine play and won the “Little Derby” opening up a 12 point first place lead. Tal Torgman and Afek Sapir scored for the young yellow & Blue. Ben Aharon summed up the win: “We began well but the pace and quality fell near the end of the first half. In the second half we switched gears with the desire to decide the match. Bnei Yehuda began to tire and we knew how to take advantage of the situation, we scored a pair of goals and controlled the pace of play. We are continuing down our path and we are beginning to countdown towards the end of the season after passing the halfway mark of the campaign. As every match goes by we are getting closer to our goal. Next week we have a tough Cup match against Petah Tikva and I’m positive that the players will come into the match ready to go to advance to the next round.”

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv 3:0 Maccabi Haifa (U16)
The Under-16 side won an important battle against Maccabi Haifa and moved into 3rd place just 4 points off the top of the table. Yaron Peles, Elad Kaplan and Oral Bahia (from the U15’s) scored for Eran Sassi’s squad. The coach spoke about the victory, “We had a great first half and we had total control of the contest as we scored two goals. We had a number of other quality chances and the win could have even been bigger. However, we played a bit less organized football in the second half but we still had some very good chances. We played an excellent defensive game and now we have to make sure we continue working hard and not rest on our laurels. I’m proud of the guys.”

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv 4:0 Hapoel Ashkelon (U15)
The Under-15 team moved into first place after defeating Ashkelon on Matchday 14 thanks to goals by Oscar Gloch, Lior Aloni, Ben Gold and Ari Mirnstein. Head Coach Ori David summed up the win: “We faced a team that had ten players behind the ball. We had a bit of a rough time at the start of the match but we found solutions to break down the defense and after the first goal the contest opened up and we scored a few more goals. I’m happy how the players were able to learn during the course of play.”

The Under-19 faced Beitar Jerusalem on Matchday 15 of the Israel Youth Premier League which marked the last game in the first round. Maccabi “Shachar” entered the contest in second place two points off the top of the table leaders Maccabi Petah Tikva while Beitar began the day in 9th, winless in their last 7 matches.

Starting XI: Or Itzhak, Alon Shtrozberg, Tamir Glezer, Dan Lugassi, Tomer Mahluf, Nadav Nidam, Mufleh Shalata, Ido Shahar, Eduardo Guerrero, Bar Cohen and Eyal Hen.

First Half
Abiel Zargari had the first chance of the match for Beitar but his shot went over the bar while in the 9’ Jerusalem’s Eden Azuri had a one on one attempt on Itzhak, but the keeper parried the ball away. 3 minutes later Shalata had Maccabi’s opening opportunity but his chance in the box went off a defender and in the 16’ Lugassi sent Hen the ball on the left side who passed it to Guerrero but his attempt went out.

In the 21’ the Yellow & Blue almost took the lead when Mahluf sent a cross in the box but Shalata’s header was blocked by Beitar keeper Roie Shoshan while Nidam’s rebound attempt went over the bar. 9 minutes later Hen’s chance at the top of the box was saved again by Shoshan. In the 31’ Guerrero’s shot went out and Bar Cohen’s cross to the aforementioned Guerrero was headed into the keeper’s hands as the sides went onto the break goalless.

Second Half
Beitar was given a penalty kick in the 62’ when Hen pulled a player down in the box which Jerusalem converted via Azuri for a 1:0 lead. Six minutes later Glezer tried his luck from long distance but his shot went out and a minute later substitute Tal Yagudaev’s chance also missed the target. In the 77’ Omer Itzhaki sent Guerrero a ball but Shoshan again made the save.

In the 79’ Yagudaev’s header off a free kick hit the bar and Beitar went downfield and doubled their lead as Roie Fadida sent the ball to Uziel Predo who beat Itzhak from in close, 2:0 Jerusalem. Shahar’s 87’ chance just missed the goal and two minutes later Beitar added a third goal when Predo put home the ball in the box for a 3:0 lead. Immediately after the goal Itzhaki was given a red card for harsh words to the referee as the match came to a disappointing end.

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv – Beitar Jerusalem, 12:00 (U19)
The Under-19 squad host’s Beitar Jerusalem on Matchday 15 of Israel Youth League action to end the first round of matches. The young Yellow & Blue are in second place and are just two points off of table leaders Maccabi Petah Tikva. The capital city side are in 9th place and are winless in their last 7 contests.

Bnei Yehuda – Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv, 14:00 Tikva Neighborhood (U17)
Following a 6:2 win over Maccabi Haifa, the Under-17 side is back in action as they visit Bnei Yehuda to open the second round of games. Maccabi “Oded” are in first place with a 12 point lead while the host’s are in 9th place with 4 wins in their last five matches.

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv – Maccabi Haifa, 10:30 Kiryat Shalom Synthetic (U16)
The Under-16 squad enters the contest after winning last week’s match 15:0. The Yellow & Blue are undefeated in ten straight games and find themselves in 4th place just 6 points of the top of the table. Haifa are in 2nd and are two points ahead of Eran Sassi’s charges.

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv – Hapoel Ashkelon, 8:30 Kiryat Shalom Synthetic (U15)
The Under-15 team host’s Ashkelon on Matchday 14 and are undefeated as they begin the day in 2nd place while the visitor’s are in second to last place with a lone victory.

2018 was a very successful year for the Maccabi Tel Aviv Avi Cohen Youth Academy as it continues to imbue the philosophy of Performance Director Patrick van Leeuwen. Over the past 12 months, the Youth Academy both hosted and took part in International Tournaments, won championships in their respective leagues, played in the UEFA Youth Champions League and also continued to advance the Girls Team project. Here are five of the accomplishments from the past calendar year.

1. Maccabi Tel Aviv’s International Youth Tournament

The calendar year began with the Youth Academy hosting an International Youth Tournament. Maccabi “Shachar” under the direction of Guy Tzarfati won the competition as his side played against the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Red Star Paris, Maccabi Haifa, Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Rishon Le’Zion. Over the course of 3 days the PenguinPickUp Training Ground at Kiryat Shalom hosted the teams and their players for a first rate tournament. For a summary of the competition click here.

2. Championships
The 2017/18 Season ended with a very sweet taste in everyone’s mouths. All of the Youth Academy squads playing in a competitive league through the Israel Football Association won their respective championship. The Under-19 squad won their 9th league title ending their campaign with an 8 point gap from second place after scoring 65 goals, the most in the league. For a full recap click here.

The Under-17 team also celebrated their championship, wrapping up their league title 5 Matcndays before the end of the season. Eliezer Ben Aharon’s squad won 25 games, drew 4 matches and lost only once as they finished the campaign up 19 points. For the full recap click here.

The Under-16 side picked up their championship in photo finishes fashion. Thanks to 9 straight wins to end the campaign, the young Yellow & Blue were able to take home the title on the last day of the season and then won the Champions Cup as well. For the full recap click here.

The Under-15 squad also won their respective league on the second to last Matchday of the season by defeating the #1 rival for the crown, Hapoel Beer Sheva. The team scored 126 goals and recorded 17 clean sheets. For the full recap click here.

3. Prestigious Under-15 Tournament in Vienna, Austria
At the end of the season, the Under-15 squad played in a prestigious tournament in Vienna, Austria. The goal of the competition was to give the players a chance to experience an international tournament with clubs of the highest level.

Participating teams included Maccabi Tel Aviv, Rapid Wien, Admira Wacker, Lokomotiv Moscow, Schalke 04, Ferencvárosi, AIK Stockholm and Red Star Belgrade. The young Yellow & Blue ended the competition in 4th place. For a recap click here.

4. Academy Girls Project
The Girls Project at Maccabi Tel Aviv is continuing to expand. There is a team training at the PenguinPickup Training Ground at Kiryat Shalom and are playing in a competitive league while there is a new girls team at the Hadar Yosef Athletic Facility as well. The competitive team advanced to the quarterfinals of the State Cup and the Club is also continuing to expand its programs for girls with the recruitment of girls between the ages of 5-15. The goal is to create a number of teams at different age groups with each squad limited to 25 girls and the teams will use the club’s football philosophy. For further information click here.

5. Youth Champions League

The Under-19 club took part in the Youth Champions League and advanced to the second round of the tournament by winning a two legged tie over Russian outfit Anzhi Makhachkala on aggregate 5:3. Guy Tzarfati’s squad then played Sigma Olomouc from the Czech Republic who took the 3:3 tie on away goals. The team gained invaluable experience in Europe by taking part in this experience. For the recap click here.

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv 1:1 Maccabi Haifa (U19)
The Club’s Under-19 side faces Maccabi Haifa on Matchday 14 of the Israel Youth League and drew 1:1 with the Carmel squad. Tamir Glezer scored in the 11’ but Guy Dahan found the equalizer in the 50’. For the Full Match Report Click Here.

Maccabi Haifa 2:6 Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv
Eliezer Ben Aharon’s team visited Haifa and took home a 6:2 victory and opened up a 12 point lead over the same Greens on the table thanks to goals by, Tal Torgman (x3), Nir Berkovic (x2) and Rotem Itzkar. Ben Aharon summed up the win: “This was the match of the season and we saw it on the last Matchday of the first round. This contest was played at a very fast pace and it led to many goals. There are games that are money time ones and the players are always super motivated for plus they have really shown a marked improvement since the start of the season so the result doesn’t really surprise the staff. We are content and proud as to how the team has played as well as on an individual level. We ended the first round with a 12 point lead over second place Haifa which is something terrific. I must tell the players that this is just the first half and that we have a long season to go with many challenges and goals ahead. As a staff we will try to reach all of those goals and not take our foot off the gas.”

Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv 15:0 Bnei Sakhnin
The Under-16 squad handily defeated Bnei Sakhnin 15:0 in league play as they battle it out for one of the top spots. Head Coach Eran Sassi summed up the win: “We played a great team game and we are continuing our fine play of late. The team is playing simple and proper football as per our philosophy. I’m happy that we were able to take advantage of our opportunities and the players were accurate in the 15:0 win.”

Hapoel Tel Aviv 0:0 Maccabi Tel Aviv
The Derby was tight and even throughout but Maccabi’s late pressure wasn’t enough to take home the three points. Head Coach Ori David spoke about the match: “The match of the season ended in a goalless draw and it was a very emotional game just as Derbies usually are. We didn’t play enough quality football and we didn’t take care of our clear advantages on the attack. We turned up the pressure near the end of the match and we had some chances near the goal but unfortunately we couldn’t put the ball into the back of the goal. All in all I’m not satisfied with the match and I’ll have to put more emphasis on certain areas during training in order to correct some issues for the next match. I’m proud of the players for their effort.”

Maccabi “Shachar” Tel Aviv faced Maccabi Haifa on Matchday 14 of the Israel Youth Premier League. The young Yellow & Blu entered the match in second place with just goal differential separating them from the top spot.

Head Coach Guy Tzarfati’s Starting XI: Or Itzhak, Michael Chilaka, Tamir Glezer, Dan Lugassi, Tomer Mahluf, Nadav Nidam, Mufleh Shalata, Ido Shahar, Eduardo Guerrero, Bar Cohen, Eyal Hen

First Half
In the 10’ Hen sent the ball to Shahar but his shot was blocked by the defenders and sent out for a corner. A minute later Maccabi took the lead when Cohen put the ball in the box to Tamir Glezer and put it behind the keeper for a 1:0 lead.

Haifa had their first opportunity in the 14’ off a Maor Levi free kick that went to Aboubacar Bari but his header went over the bar. Shalata then had a free kick for Maccabi but his chance went off a defender and out for a corner. Cohen sent a terrific ball to Shalata in the 20’ but his shot missed the target and five minutes later Nidam found Hen but the keeper parried the ball away to safety.

The Greens had a dangerous chance in the 28’ when Muhamed Ghadir took the ball at the top of the box but Itzhak made the alert stop with his fingertips and six minutes later Hen’s attempt was knocked away by the Haifa defense as Maccabi took a 1:0 lead into the break.

Second Half
Haifa evened the contest up early in the second half when Guy Dahan took a through all and beat Izhak, 1:1. In the 55’ Nidam tries his luck from long distance but his attempt went over the bar while five minutes later Cohen’s chance was taken care of by the keeper.

In the 67’ Haifa’s Ghadir’s surprise shot from outside the box hit the bar and in the 72’ Mahluf sent a ball to Ram but his attempt went out. Just before the final whistle Guerrero almost found the winner but the keeper made the stop and the side’s split the points.

Maccabi Tel Aviv 2:1 Ashdod (U19)
The Under-19 team got back onto the winning track with a dramatic win late in the contest. The Yellow & Blue came into the match in 2nd place but now are level on points with first place Maccabi Petah Tikva ain’t only goal differential separating the two. Bar Cohen and Gil Ben Shalosh scored for Maccabi. For the full Match Report Click Here.

Maccabi “Oded” Tel Aviv 4:1 Hapoel Raanana (U17)
After last week’s Derby win, the Under-17 said continued their positive momentum with a win over Raanana and a 7 point lead over the 2nd place team as they remain atop the table. Or Roizman scored a hat trick and Tal Torgeman scored a single marker. Head Coach Eliezer Ben Aharon summed up the match: “We began a week with 3 matches to finish off the first round of games. We were able to successfully make it through the first match and got the upper hand right from the get go as we understood how to beat the three Raanana central defenders system. It was great to see that we were able to translate what we had worked on in training in the actual game. Wednesday we play Netanya who plays with a different style and are physical and more aggressive than Raanana and then on Saturday we play the Classico against Maccabi Haifa with the goal of taking all 6 points.

Bnei Yehuda 0:3 Maccabi “Eli Fuchs” Tel Aviv (U16)
After a 2:0 midweek win over Ironi Nesher, the Under-16 side defeated Bnei Yehuda on Matchday 14 of League action. Yonatan Paz scored a brace and Roie Revivo had the other marker. Head Coach Eran Sassi: “This was a team game by our players. The pitch was smaller than usual and the host’s packed it in defensively but we were patient and we waited for our chances. I’m proud as to how we played this match.”

Maccabi “Eldad” Tel Aviv 2:0 Hapoel Ramat Gan (U15)
The Under-15 team won on Matchday 12 as they defeated Ramat Gan 2:0 to maintain second place on the table. Oscar Gluch and Nir Levi scored for Ori David’s side. “We played against a very aggressive team on the border on actually violent so it was a good challenge that the players were able to face. Some handled it well, some had difficulties. This was a good game to learn from and now it’s on next week’s Derby.”

The Under-19 side met Ashdod on Matchday 13 of the Israel Youth Premier League as the Yellow & Blue began the day in 2nd place just 3-points off the top of the table.

Head Coach Guy Tzarfati’s Starting XI featured keeper Or Itzhak, Michael Chilaka, Tamir Glezer, Dan Lugassi, Tomer Mahluf, Nadav Nidam, Mufleh Shalata, Ido Shahar, Eduardo Guerrero, Bar Cohen, Eyal Hen.

First Half
Maccabi had the first chance of the contest in the 11’ when Shahar took a shot from 20 meter but the keeper caught the ball. Four minutes later Guerrero found Hen on the left side but again keeper Raz Zaguri was up to the task to make the stop. The Yellow & Blue finally found the opener in the 18’ when Guerrero sent a cross into the middle of the box to Cohen who put the ball into the back of the goal for a 1:0 Maccabi lead.

In the 35’ Cohen almost found his second goal of the match, but his attempt went over goal and four minutes later hen sent a ball towards Guerrero but his chance just skipped by the post. Just before the halftime whistle Shahar tried his luck from 25 meters but his opportunity went out as the Yellow & Blue took the slim advantage into the break.

Second Half
The second half began with Maccabi again pressing for a second marker when Guerrero sent a cross to Hen but his header in the box was saved, while Shahar got to the rebound first but his chance went out. In the 55’ Omri Ram’s corner found Lugassi but his header missed the target and a minute later Cohen’s chance went over the goal.

In the 57’ Ashdod had their first opportunity of the match when a through ball to Yoni Sisai tried to put the ball over Itzhak but was unable to do so, while a minute later Ram tried the same for Maccabi but came up empty. Yagudaev’s 74’ chance hit the outside of the net and then Ashdod almost drew even thanks to a great through ball but Itzhak came up big to make the save.

However, in the 84’ Ashdod found the equalizer when Mohamed Canaan scored to draw even at 1:1. But Maccabi didn’t hang their heads and put home the winner in the 89’ when Guerrero headed the ball to Gil Ben Shalosh who turned his defender and put the ball behind Zaguri for a 2:1 Yellow & Blue victory.

The Under-19 team faced Hapoel Nir Ramat Hasharon on Matchday 12 of the Israel Youth Premier League. Maccabi began the day in second place just a point off the top of table while the opposition sat in last place on the table.

Head Coach Guy Tzarfati’s Starting XI included Or Itzhak, Michael Chilaka, Amit Glezer, Alon Shtrozberg, Tomer Mahluf, Tamir Glezer, Eduardo Guerrero, Yoav Hofmayster, Gil Ben Shalosh, Bar Cohen, Tal Yagudaev.

First Half
The Yellow & Blue almost took a quick lead as Cohen controlled the ball and took a shot on goal but the rival keeper made the stop while Yagudaev’s rebound attempt hit off the post. Ramat Hasharon has a chance in the 8’ when a through ball made its way to Amberiya but Itzhak made the timely save by cutting off the threat.

In the 30’ the host’s had a penalty attempt after Shtrozberg’s reckless tackle in the box on Amberiya resulted in an 11 meter spot kick that David Dego scored to give Ramat Hasharon a 1:0 lead. Five minutes before the half Cohen’s free kick was caught by the host’s keeper and in the 42’ the Ramat Hasharon almost doubled their advantage but Dego’s attempt from outside of the box hit the post.

Second Half
Itzhak made a terrific save in the 50’ when he stopped Aviel Ben Hemo’s header and ten minutes later Maccabi drew even. Yagudaev received the ball on the left wing, sent it to Nadav Nidam who put it behind the Ramat Hasharon keeper, 1:1.

In the 62’ the Yellow & Blue threatened the Ramat Hasharon goal when Yagudaev’s corner kick made it to Rave Assayag but his header went over the goal. Six minutes later Assayag again was involved in the action as he took a Nidam cross but his attempt was saved by the keeper. As the match hit the 70’ the host’s almost took the lead but Yonatan Heizen’s shot hit the post and went out and ten minutes later Dego hit the bar as the match ended in a 1:1 draw.