The last two weeks were very hard to the Israeli football. That started in Slovakia, and then came the humiliations of Hapoel Beer-Sheva in 1/32 EC3 (0:7 at home to Barcelona) and of Maccabee Haifa in 1/16 EC2 (0:4 away to Sporting Lisbon). That seems now like the Israeli football on the International level returned to suck as it did several years ago. And that's strange that the League still provides us with some wonderful games and true entertainments.
26 goals, 2 red cards, 3 penalties converted to goals... The wonderful shape of Maccabee Tel-Aviv, which devastated Bnei-Yehuda in their good day, usually the hard assignment. Another performance of Istvan Salloi, and it seems he is the most probable contender by now to become "The Best Foreigner" or even "The Best Player". Ronen Harazi, the best International striker of Israel, returned to the pitch and started with a goal. Reuven Attar and Hapoel Haifa go on with their performance, and so do Alon Offir and Hapoel Tel-Aviv. And several goals scored were the fantastic strikes - Nir Shikwa and Alon Offir, Reuven Attar, Armand Zeiberlinsh and Barukh David...
Maccabee Haifa, playing in Tuesday in Kiryat-Eliezer vs Maccabee Herzliya, could achieve nothing during the first 70 minutes, but the 3 bars of Revivo, Kandaurov and Mizrahi. The shape of our vice-champions was under any critics. But then came the 20 minutes of the substitutes. Offer Shitrit, substituting Alon Mizrahi, scored twice, and the second goal pass was made by Edgardo Adinolfi, who substituted Berkovich 3 minuztes from time (!). Adinolfi was planned to start this game, but an unexpected disease of his girlfriend changed his plans. Now Adinolfi waits for our National team to play against Uruguay in Jerusalem, and Maccabee Haifa heads for two tough games, vs Sporting Lisbon at home and vs Hapoel Tel-Aviv away. But they really-really have to improve.
Bnei-Yehuda shocked Maccabee Tel-Aviv, scoring after just 2 minutes (Sahar Mizrahi). Maccabee tried to score, but nearly got the second blow - Bonnie Ginzburg sent a precise keeper's ball to Sergei Gerasimets, and the latter, in one-to-one with Uvarov, stopped, was forced to pass a defender, then another one, and after making it, shot a ball high. Itzhak Zohar equalized by then after dribbling over Bonnie Ginzburg (27). Sahar Mizrahi then headed the ball to the right post of Uvarov (37), and then Bonnie Ginzburg made 2 magnificent saves, from Itzhak Zohar (39) and Evgeniy Kashentsev (41). Sahar Mizrahi (52) in one-to-one with Uvarov saw the latter touching the ball in a desperate flight to send it to a corner. And here Maccabee stopped missing, scoring by Kashentsev and then by Nir Klinger, twice. 9 points from 9 possible, quite a good start.
Two other teams didn't waste a point by now, Hapoel Tel-Aviv and Beitar Jerusalem. It seemed for Hapoel to go hard against the outsider, Hapoel Rishon le-Zion, as Nir Shikwa got a ball 20 meters from the net, misled 2 defenders and shot an unstoppable ball to the high left corner of Baku. But then, Alon Offir went on with his tradition to score the contenders for "The Goal Of The Season" - a certain confusion happened in Rishon's box, and the ball jumped to Offir, who sent it from the air, from 18 meters, without stopping to the right corner of Shavit Elimelekh at half a height, 1:1. 10 minutes have passed, and Eyal Ben-Ami used a serious mistake by Elimelekh to score a winner. Nir Shikwa, the scorer of Rishon, was sent off after throwing the ball on a linesman.
Beitar Jerusalem, playing against the serious squad of Maccabee Petakh-Tikwa, should be very grateful to Haim Lipkovich, who didn't send off their keeper Itzhak Korenfein after a foul over Najouan Grayib outside the box in one-to-one situation (3). But then it was Istvan Salloi all over. First, it was Golan Malul who parried Salloi's shot with his fingertips, but then the pass of Salloi found Sahar Saado near the empty net, 1:0. Maccabee managed to equalize quickly, and then Beitar continued to press, as Ronen Harazi, the best International scorer of Israel, substituted Sahar Saado and played for the first time after his injury. Ehud Kahila headed it home (70), and then came the best moment of the game. Salloi got the ball in the box (80), sent it with a heel (!) over two defenders without stopping, and was knocked down while passing the third; Ronen Harazi converted the penalty to a goal, despite the flight of Golan Malul, and the Teddy stadium shouted with joy.
Hapoel Beer-Sheva, the greatest disappointment of ours in Europe, managed to defeat Hapoel Tsafririm Holon, and we'll remember for long both goals of "Princes Of Negev". 14: Oren Sagron passed the ball to Sharon Avitan, the latter managed to pass the ball over two Holonian defenders with his toetips, and Armand Zeiberlinsh was there, 18 meters from the net, sending a fantastic volley bomb, 1:0. Holon was better then and equalized through Shai Holtzman (the only man of form there), but here came the last minute of the game. Eitan Ankari sent the ball to the box, Haim Goldberg headed it weakly away, and Barukh David sent it from 16 meters to the bar of Alexander Zhidkov and in, a great victory goal.
Hapoel Kefar-Saba managed to take a point from Beit-Shean, and Maccabee Yaffa, being surprisingly ahead of Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa, still lost; Moti Kakun and Manor Hassan remain the striking force of Petakh-Tikwa, and everybody should beware of them. And Hapoel Haifa devastated Beitar Tel-Aviv away - 3:0; here, we should beware of Reuven Attar and Amir Turgeman. The first goal of Attar was a real beauty - getting the ball from George Weber and seeing Sagi Strauss trying to get out, he rushed to sent it above the keeper without stopping. With Reuven Attar and Ronen Harazi in the National team, it can be different. Too late for EC'96, though.
The next round, in a fortnight, brings us two fantastic performances - Hapoel Haifa vs Maccabee Tel-Aviv, Hapoel Tel-Aviv vs Maccabee Haifa. Also to watch: Maccabee Yaffa vs Beitar Jerusalem.
MACCABEE TEL-AVIV - Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv 4:1 (1:1).
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Hosts: Itzhak Zohar (27), Evgeniy Kashentsev (58), Nir Klinger (77, 81).
Guests: Sahar Mizrahi (2).
THE BEST: Nir Klinger, midfielder, Maccabee Tel-Aviv.
HAPOEL TEL-AVIV - Hapoel Rishon le-Zion 2:1 (2:1).
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Hosts: Alon Offir (23), Eyal Ben-Ami (33).
Guests: Nir Shikwa (9).
RED: Nir Shikwa, forward, Hapoel Rishon le-Zion, 74.
THE BEST: Alon Offir, midfielder, Hapoel Tel-Aviv.
BEITAR JERUSALEM - Maccabee Petakh-Tikwa 3:1 (1:1).
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Hosts: Sahar Saado (25), Ehud Kahila (70), Ronen Harazi (80 pen).
Guests: Guy Itzhak (30).
THE BEST: Istvan Salloi, midfielder, Beitar Jerusalem.
MACCABEE HAIFA - Maccabee Herzliya 2:0 (0:0). [Played on 18/09]
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Hosts: Offer Shitrit (77, 88).
Guests: -.
THE BEST: Alon Harazi, defender, Maccabee Haifa.
HAPOEL PETAKH-TIKWA - Maccabee Yaffa 3:1 (1:1).
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Hosts: Moti Kakun (42, 82 pen), Manor Hassan (80).
Guests: Nidal Mahamid (25).
THE BEST: Beni Kozoshvili, midfielder, Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa.
Beitar Tel-Aviv - HAPOEL HAIFA 0:3 (0:1).
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Hosts: -.
Guests: Reuven Attar (6, 62 pen), Amir Turgeman (77).
THE BEST: Reuven Attar, midfielder, Hapoel Haifa.
Hapoel Tsafririm Holon - HAPOEL BEER-SHEVA 1:2 (0:1).
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Hosts: Shai Holtzman (71).
Guests: Armand Zeiberlinsh (14), Barukh David (90).
THE BEST: Armand Zeiberlinsh, midfielder, Hapoel Beer-Sheva.
Hapoel Beit-Shean - Hapoel Kefar-Saba 1:1 (1:0).
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Hosts: Facundo Gareca (17).
Guests: Guy Messika (74).
RED: Eli Tsuref, midfielder, Hapoel Kefar-Saba, 88.
THE BEST: Yehuda Amar, midfielder, Hapoel Beit-Shean.
THE ROUND'S TEAM:
-----------------
Itzhak Korenfein
(Beitar Jerusalem)
Avi Azulai Sergei Tretyak Guy Messika Ilan Boaron
(Hapoel Tel-Aviv) (Beitar Jerusalem) (Hapoel Kefar-Saba) (Hapoel P.-T.)
Nir Klinger Alon Offir Reuven Attar Avi Nimni
(Maccabee Tel-Aviv) (Hapoel Tel-Aviv) (Hapoel Haifa) (Maccabee Tel-Aviv)
Istvan Salloi Evgeniy Kashentsev
(Beitar Jerusalem) (Maccabee Tel-Aviv)
NOTE: Had the list been registered on Tuesday, it would've been Alon Harazi
(Maccabee Haifa) instead of Guy Messika.
Beitar Jerusalem, Maccabee Tel-Aviv - 3.
Hapoel Tel-Aviv - 2.
Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa, Hapoel Haifa, Hapoel Kefar-Saba - 1.
PLACE TEAM G W T L Goals Points
1 (1) Maccabee Tel-Aviv 03 3 0 0 9- 2 9
2 (2) Hapoel Tel-Aviv 03 3 0 0 7- 3 9
- (3) Beitar Jerusalem 03 3 0 0 7- 3 9
4 (5) Maccabee Haifa 03 2 1 0 6- 2 7
5 (6) Hapoel Haifa 03 2 0 1 7- 3 6
6 (8) Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa 03 2 0 1 7- 5 6
7 (4) Maccabee Petakh-Tikwa 03 1 1 1 8- 8 4
8 (11) Hapoel Beer-Sheva 03 1 1 1 5- 5 4
9 (9) Hapoel Beit-Shean 03 1 1 1 4- 5 4
10 (7) Maccabee Yaffa 03 1 0 2 6- 8 3
11 (10) Maccabee Herzliya 03 1 0 2 1- 4 3
12 (13) Hapoel Tsafririm Holon 03 0 1 2 7-10 1
13 (16) Hapoel Kefar-Saba 03 0 1 2 3- 6 1
14 (11-12) Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv 03 0 1 2 4- 8 1
15 (14) Beitar Tel-Aviv 03 0 1 2 2- 8 1
16 (15) Hapoel Rishon le-Zion 03 0 0 3 2- 5 0
BEST PLAYER: Istvan Salloi, midfielder, Beitar Jerusalem.
TOP SCORERS: Reuven Attar (Hapoel Haifa) 4(1) 2(1)
*********************************************************
Nissim Avitan (Hapoel Tel-Aviv) 3(0)
Guy Itzhak (Maccabee Petakh-Tikwa) 3(0) 1
Manor Hassan (Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa) 3(0) 1
Amir Turgeman (Hapoel Haifa) 3(0) 1
Shai Holtzman (Hapoel Tsafririm Holon) 3(1) 1
Moti Kakun (Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa) 3(1) 2(1)
NOTE - the penalties scored are put in brackets. The last
column means the number of goals scored this week.
NEXT ROUND (in a fortnight):
| Hosts | Guests |
| Hapoel Haifa (5) | Maccabee Tel-Aviv (1) |
| Hapoel Tel-Aviv (2-3) | Maccabee Haifa (4) |
| Maccabee Yaffa (10) | Beitar Jerusalem (2-3) |
| Hapoel Beer-Sheva (8) | Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa (6) |
| Maccabee Petakh-Tikwa (7) | Hapoel Beit-Shean (9) |
| Maccabee Herzliya (11) | Hapoel Tsafririm Holon (12) |
| Hapoel Kefar-Saba (13) | Beitar Tel-Aviv (15) |
| Hapoel Rishon le-Zion (16) | Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv (14) |
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