Maccabi “Shachar” hosted Hapoel Beer Sheva on Matchday 24 of the Israel Premier League Ligat Ha’Al. The Yellow & Blue began the day in first place thanks to a win over Ashdod while Beer Sheva featured in 7th. The last time the two sides faced each other Maccabi took home a 2:0 win.
Starting XI: Daniel Peretz, Noam Cohen, Alon Shtrozberg, Fadi Najar, Yoav Hofmayster, Amit Glazer, Tomer Altman, Prince Thomas, Mufleh Shalata, Eylon Almog, William Agada.
First Half
Maccabi looked dangerous from the get go as Cohen sent Thomas a ball in the box but his shot went off of the Beer Sheva defense and out in the 3’. However, 5 minutes later Hofmayster sent the ball to Almog who gave Altman a perfect cross in the box as he found the back of the goal for a 1:0 lead. The Yellow & Blue doubled the score in the 13’ when Shalata on the right wing sent the ball into the area to Agada who headed it home for a 2:0 advantage.
Beer Sheva cut the lead to 2:1 in the 19’ when Itamar Shviro came down the left side and gave striker King Kogana the ball which he headed in. The match continued to be played at a frantic pace as Guy Tzarfati’s squad scored their third of the contest in the 27’. Almog tried his luck from long distance as the keeper parried the ball right to Agada who sent the rebound into the goal for a 3:1 lead. Three minutes later Shtrozberg gave Agada a beauty of a through ball who in turn handed it off to Shalata but his attempt went into the visitor’s defense.
In the 41’ Agada almost added his third of the match when Almog gave him a gorgeous pass that the former sliced towards the goal but keeper Amit Keren made the save, while a minute later Shalata began a counter attack that allowed Almog a terrific opportunity for a one on one chance but his shot hit the side netting. Just before the break, Beer Sheva almost found their second goal but Yonatan Elias who had come on as a substitute sent his attempt into the Yellow & Blue defense as they took a 3:1 lead into the second half.
Second Half
The second half began with both sides playing a bit more tentatively with the first real chance coming in the 55’ for Beer Sheva but Peretz was up to the task. Shiviro had a nice opportunity for the visitor’s a minute later however, Peretz again made the stop in the 60’.
The pace continued to slow, but that didn’t stop Maccabi as they took a 4:1 lead in the 75’ when Almog scored on a perfect shot. Beer Sheva picked up their second of the game just before the final whistle via Elias as the contest ended in a 4:2 Yellow & Blue win.
