Pre Match
Going into the game with a two-point deficit from the top, Maccabi’s coach Patrick van Leeuwen made several changes from the side that beat Maccabi Petah Tikva last week for the visit of Ashdod.
Matan Baltaxa returned to the starting line-up as the partner of Louis Hernandez at the heart of defense. Avi Rikan stepped-in for Eden Kartzev in midfield alongside Sheran Yeini and Dor Peretz.
Eduardo Gurrero whose brace helped Maccabi beat Petah Tikva 3-1, dropped to the bench and was replaced by Matan Hozez while Eylon Almog replaced Tal Ben Chaim. Aleksandar Pesic kept his place as the Serbian striker led the attack once again.
Shortly before kickoff a ceremony took place on the pitch as a tribute to the Championship winning class of 91/92.
First Half
The fact Ashdod were missing several key players as well as their coach Ran Ben Shimon who was serving a one-match-touchline-ban didn’t have any effect on the visitors who began the match on the front foot.
Four minutes from the start Ashdod came close to draw first blood as Hamoudi Kna’an led a counter attack before sliding the ball to Hayford Adjei who shot wide. Daniel Tenenbaum was forced to a fingertip save to deny Ramzi Safuri’s powerful shot following a short Ashdod corner.
It took Maccabi several minutes to get back in the game as Matan Hozez and Enric Saborit both sent telling crosses across the face of Ashdod’s goal. Yet neither Aleksandar Pesic nor Avi Rikan could get on the back of those crosses to launch a threat on goal. Sheran Yeini couldn’t keep his shot as the ball comfortably fell for him on the edge of Ashdod’s area. Saborit tried his luck from a tight angle but his shot narrowly missed the target. Ashdod’s keeper Yoav Gerrafi pulled a stunning save to deny Louis Hernandez before Pesic shot over the crossbar and wasted a good chance.
Second Half
Two minutes after the interval, Ya’acov Brihon who was introduced at the restart, exploited a mix up in Maccabi’s defense to break into the area and curl a shot into the bottom far corner and beyond the reach of Tenenbaum.
The Brazilian born custodian kept Maccabi in the game as he pulled two stunning saves in the space of one minute. Tenebaum first pushed out Nenad Cvetkovic’s powerful close-range-header before stretching himself to keep out Safuri’s drive from the resulting corner. Van Leeuwen made a double change on 57 as Yonatan Cohen and Eduardo Gurrero came in for Hozez and Almog.
Within a minute Maccabi came close to level the score as Avi Rikan managed to beat Geraffi only to be denied by the base of the post. Eden Kartzev replaced the tired Yeini in the 63rd minute as Van Leeuwen added a fresh pair of legs into the midfield.
In the 70th minute Maccabi’s pressure finally managed to crack Ashdod’s defense open as Saborit showed persistence and determination to fight-off two defenders and the keeper before pushing the ball over the line.
Van Leeuwen made his two final substitutions as Etey Shechter and Dan Biton replaced Pesic and Rikan for the final 17 minutes. Shechter was in the thick of things almost instantly as he held off a defender on the edge of the area to tee-up Dor Peretz whose shot was saved by Geraffi.
Cohen came close on 84 as he cut inside from the left onto his right but Geraffi was there once again to deny the Maccabi forward a goal on his comeback from injury. Kartzev blasted a powerful right foot shot from the edge of the area that crept to the wrong side of Geraffi’s post in the 90th minute. Inside injury time Guerrero’s cut back found Peretz whose initial shot was blocked by the Ashdod keeper who pulled a double save to deny what could have been a dramatic win.
Liran Liani’s final whistle meant that both sides will settle for a point each as they face each other once again on Wednesday – this time in the State Cup Quarter Finals.
