Maccabee Ironi Ashdod - Maccabee Haifa 0:0. [28/11/1998, from Week 06] --------------------------------------------- Hosts: -. | Devadze 6; Martsiano 6, Masouli 6.5, Y. Malka 7, Spire 6 (Tobol, 85); | Almoshnino 6, Naveda 6, Balog 6, A. Sharabi 6.5, BARUKH DEGO 7 (Y. Offir, | 83); Turgeman 5.5. ******** Guests: -. | Davidovich 6; Zhano 5.5, A. Harazi 7, Benado 6, A. Keisi 5.5; Nagar 5 | (Belianchuk, 60 - 4), Koppel 5, Benayoun 4.5, Romatko 4 (Doro, 60 - 5); | Katan 5 (Vilner, 80), A. Mizrahi 4. ******** REFEREE: Yosef Benishti (8). AUDIENCE: 6,500, Yud-Alef Stadium, Ashdod. ********
Maccabee Haifa should've been disappointed with such a result before the game, but those were the hosts to be disappointed after the game was over. 3 great saves of Nir Davidovich (41, from Turgeman, 59 and 77, from Dego) and a disallowed goal of Alberto Naveda finally gave the European Empire from Haifa a point. Altogether with that, Haifa had a couple of chances, but Yossi Benayoun and Yaniv Katan, as well as Alon Mizrahi, would like to forget this game.
HAPOEL HAIFA - Beitar Jerusalem 2:1 (0:0). -------------------------------------------- Hosts: Goran Milenko (57), Giovanni Rosso (90). | Awwat 7.5; Talker 5.5, Ben-Shimon 6, Ami Azulai 6, Grayib 5.5; Zeituni 6 | (Ben-Margi, 89), Ulyanov 6.5, GORAN MILENKO 8, Rosso 7, Basis 6 (Hageage, | 78); Jovic 6 (Nissim, 78). ******** Guests: Nir Sevilla (73). | Korenfein 6; S. Levi 6.5 (Sevilla, 62 - 6.5), Shelakh 5, Tretyak 6, Bakhar | 6; Hamar 6, Talesnikov 5, Abuksis 5.5, Salloi 6.5; O. Shitrit 5, T. Sandor | 5.5 (R. Deri, 68). ******** REFEREE: Eyal Tsur (8). AUDIENCE: 14,000, Kiryat-Eliezer Stadium, Haifa. ********
Watching on TV the evening game between Salamanca and Celta Vigo, the latter playing with Haim Revivo and reportedly showing the best soccer in Spain, I couldn't help finding the top Israeli game much more interesting and entertaining. It had just everything - the bars, the misses, the great keepers' saves (especially of Dudu Awwat, an unknown guy from Nazareth just 2 years ago, who became a real star) and the incredible goals, the last one deep in an injury time. And it might be another proof that the king, Giovanni Rosso, is a good candidate to rule the kingdom - I don't see what can stop Hapoel Haifa from taking its first historic Championship.
The start was of Offer Shitrit, who from 6 meters nearly crashed the bar, an awful miss (12); Haifa answered with a bar of its own, when after a foul on Alexander Jovic Ran Ben-Shimon launched a free kick from 18 meters (16). [Jovic, the player of the Yugoslavian squad during the last World Cup, showed a nice debut and can become a great help to Haifa aspirations; on the other hand, it's hard to forgive him an awful miss with a header from 3 meters in front of a virtually empty net (44)]. A brilliant flat shot of Goran Milenko, "The Man Of The Week", passed already the frantically diving Korenfein (22), but only hit his left post; Korenfein was in his best, flying like a cat to push the cannon ball of Giovanni Rosso from 25 meters over his crossbar (31). And shortly after the break, it was the first real save of Dudu Awwat - Yossi Abuksis shot the free kick from the right wing into the box, and Ilan Bakhar found the good touch in the fence of legs, 5 meters from the net; Awwat, with a great instinctive dive, pushed the ball into his post, and the deflection was cleared. The great misses of Offer Shitrit on one hand, and Liron Basis on the other (both would surely like to forget this game as soon as possible) followed, and the score was still a nil draw.
The following move was the opener, and I couldn't beat the impression I was watching the Eurosport advertisement for Adidas; only there the colors are dark, and here the stadium was brightly lit. Goran Milenko got the ball in the midcircle, and started with an action that might well compete for "The Goal Of The Season". Passing one defender, he advanced 15-20 meters and, seeing Jean Talesnikov and Amir Shelakh jumping to stop him, he managed to overthrow them with the ball and to jump over them. The stadium was already in ecstasy from such a move, but what followed was even better - he advanced for another 5 meters and shot a powerful ball before the 4th defender had a time to close him, from 20 meters. The ball kissed the back of Sergei Tretyak and slightly changed the direction, entering the left corner of the helplessly flying Korenfein at half a height. What a beauty! 1:0, 33 minutes still to go.
Shmuel Levi was wonderful with closing Najouan Grayib at the left wing of Haifa's attacks, but Beitar needed to attack, and therefore he was substituted with Nir Sevilla, giving a great performance himself. 9 minutes after the goal, Korenfein fabulously saved the mighty close-ranger of Basis to leave Beitar in the game; on the other hand, a great flight of Awwat stopped another shot of Shitrit. However, 17 minutes from time, Haifa conceded its 2nd goal this season. Offer Shitrit entered undisturbed into the box, passed Ran Ben-Shimon and tried to shoot a ball, which was blocked by Offer Talker. Nir Sevilla was on the rebound and tried to push the ball inside, but Awwat stopped it in an impossible fashion. However, nobody cleared the ball away, and Sevilla took it again, ran clear from the lying keeper and sent the ball inside, 1:1.
Suddenly it seemed Haifa would settle for the draw, and Beitar was active during those minutes, going for the victory - Sevilla and Hamar fell in the box, amongst the rest, and demanded the penalties, which didn't come from the excellent referee Eyal Tsur. The peak of Awwat came after 89 minutes, when he defeated Offer Shitrit in a wonderful fashion, in a one-to-one stand. And then came the 5 unforgettable minutes of an injury time. First, the substitute Oren Nissim rushed into the box and missed the frame in front of a helpless Korenfein. And then the 95th minute came, with an unforgettable move of the king, who was very mediocre through all the 2nd half. Rosso kidnapped the ball from Talesnikov, performed a double-pass with Oren Nissim, and then from 28 meters arched the ball over the badly positioned Korenfein to the corner that Milenko found before. Probably, "The Championship Goal", but surely - the goal that ignited the Red fans and sent the fans of Beitar into an unexplicable knock-out. The last minute strikes of Maccabee Haifa vs PSG and SV Ried went on, this time with Hapoel, in Kiryat-Eliezer, the hottest Israeli stadium this year.
HAPOEL PETAKH-TIKWA - Hapoel Kefar-Saba 4:2 (2:0). ---------------------------------------------------- Hosts: Moti Kakun (27), Walid Badir (36, 65), Reuven Attar (89). | Hess 6 (Abramov, 88); Hermesh 5, Kolosevic 5, Kozoshvili 6.5, I. Boaron 6; | Stan 5.5, Badir 7, Marton 6.5 (Angelkovic, 68), REUVEN ATTAR 7, Abrabanel | 5.5 (Rosen, 74); Kakun 6. ******** Guests: Avigdor Itzhak (66), Yaniv Avvargeal (72 pen). | Strauss 4.5; Shem-Tov 5 (A. Sandor, 77), Catalyn 5, Kahila 4.5 (RED, 57), | Ganon 5; Ben-Haim 4.5 (Ungur, 46 - 6), Masterovic 4.5, I. Koren 4.5, Niv | Tal 4 (A. Itzhak, 59 - 6), Giannakh 4; Avvargeal 6. ******** REFEREE: Haim Yaacov (7). AUDIENCE: 5,500, Ironi Stadium, Petakh-Tikwa. ********
A header of Moti Kakun after a corner kick of Gabor Marton gave the runners-up a lead (27), and 9 minutes afterwards, two hesitant saves of Sagi Strauss finally found the decisive finish of Walid Badir, 2:0. 20 minutes after the break, it was a penetration of Reuven Attar at the right wing; finally, he released the ball to Walid Badir, who sent it from 25 meters without stopping under the right crossbar of Strauss, 3:0. However, a quick answer of Avigdor Itzhak from 25 meters as well, and then a penalty earned and converted by Yaniv Avvargeal, gave Petakh-Tikwa a headache and Kefar-Saba a hope, especially after Shai Hess was injured close to the end. The final touch, however, was of Reuven Attar, whose flat and weak shot still passed somehow between the legs of Sagi Strauss. Attar seized his head in disbelief, but this was indeed a goal - and the 100th goal of Attar ever in the National League.
Hapoel Tel-Aviv - MACCABEE HAIFA 1:2 (0:0). --------------------------------------------- Hosts: Assaf Tubi (63). | Elimelekh 5.5; F. Halfon 6, Gershon 6.5, Israel Cohen 6, Ben-Ami 5.5; Avi | Azulai 6.5, Tezetski 6.5 (Udi, 87), Rupenik 6.5, Tikwa 7 (Tuama, 72); | Tubi 5.5 (R. Nakhman, 80), Simerotic 5.5. ******** Guests: Alon Harazi (85), Yossi Benayoun (90). | Davidovich 6.5; Belianchuk 4.5 (RED, 81), A. Harazi 5, Benado 6, A. Keisi | 5.5; Koppel 5 (Zhano, 71), Nagar 6, YOSSI BENAYOUN 6.5, Romatko 5 (Katan, | 65 - 6.5), Doro 5.5 (Vilner, 88); A. Mizrahi 6. ******** REFEREE: Dani Koren (9). AUDIENCE: 17,000, Bloomfield Stadium, Yaffa. ********
Another breathtaking game of this weekend, which ended in a totally unexpected way - Hapoel Tel-Aviv, led by Shalom Tikwa, was much-much better, but once Tikwa was tired and had to be substituted, it lost a half-won game. The game stayed scoreless for long, after the great saves of Davidovich from the shots of Simerotic (3, 6) and Tubi (9), the great save of Elimelekh after a bomb of Alon Mizrahi (28), a bar of Adoram Keisi from a free kick (50) and a miss of Eyal Ben-Ami (54). 18 minutes after the break, though, Davidovich parried badly the ball of Davor Rupenik from 20 meters, Tikwa was on a rebound and overplayed the keeper, and Assaf Tubi gave the ball its final touch, 1:0. A shot of Tubi (70) into the bar and a breathtaking save of Davidovich from the rebound of Simerotic left Haifa in the game, even after a red card shown to Sergei Belianchuk after a redundant foul over Salim Tuama (81). 5 minutes from time, Haifa equalized with a header of Alon Harazi, after a corner of Yossi Benayoun. And finally, the 2nd minute of the injury time came, with a really startling penetration of the substitute Yaniv Katan at the right wing - he sent the ball into the center, Alon Mizrahi failed to beat Elimelekh, but Yossi Benayoun scored the winner from the rebound, becoming "The Man Of The Game", even though Tikwa's mark was better.
Hapoel Beit-Shean - MACCABEE TEL-AVIV 0:5 (0:2).
--------------------------------------------------
Hosts: -.
| M. Cohen 5; A. Danan 4, Taib 5, Elkaslassi 4 (M. Uzan, 49 - 4), Hader 4
| (O. Asulin, 63); Y. Biton 5, Pancheladze 5.5, Dudu Dahan 4.5, Almog Hazan
| 4.5, Roi Sagi 5 (Elgrissi, 72); Culakovic 4.
********
Guests: OG (Jamil Hader, 23), Moshe Glam (45), Andrzej Kubica (49),
Eli Driks (83), Avi Nimni (86 pen).
| Uvarov 6; A. Offir 6, Emenalo 6.5, Balbul 6, Ben-Dayan 5.5; Kosolapov 6
| (Strool, 84), D. Revivo 6.5, Edri 5.5 (Driks, 70), Nimni 7, MOSHE GLAM 7.5;
| Kubica 7 (Tsarfati, 77).
********
REFEREE: Eitan Tavrizi (8).
AUDIENCE: 3,500, Ironi Stadium, Beit-Shean.
********
Hapoel Beit-Shean, led by now by the former deputy coach Elias Levi, is a sad excuse for the National League team, and yesterday it was fully exploited by Maccabee Tel-Aviv, being itself in a wonderful shape. The score was opened after 23 minutes of play, with a diving header of Jamil Hader ... into his own net; just before the break, it was Moshe Glam, "The Man Of The Game", with a flat shot past Meir Cohen (without whom, by the way, the score could've been much more frightening). After the break, the great Andrzej Kubica was on the rebound, after Cohen parried the ball of David Revivo (the brother of Haim celebrated his 21st birthday with a sweet victory). During the last 10 minutes, the last nails were put into the coffin of Beit-Shean, with a header of Eli Driks, after the preparation of Dedi Ben-Dayan, and with a penalty of Avi Nimni, after a foul of Eitan Taib on Moshe Glam inside his box.
Maccabee Herzliya - MACCABEE PETAKH-TIKWA 0:2 (0:1). ------------------------------------------------------ Hosts: -. | Gilardi 5.5; E. Arbel 5, Barmecher 4.5, Y. Koretski 4.5, A. Levi 5 (L. | Asulin, 65); Gat 5, Ivanov 5, Zanetti 5 (Dantziger, 59 - 4), Niederhaus 4, | Entebbi 4; Simhon 4 (Mchitarian, 46 - 5.5). ******** Guests: Sharon Avitan (39), Rajid Bransi (90). | O. Cohen 5.5; S. Tsofin 5, Magamedov 5, Ben-Yosef 5, Partieli 5; ISMAIL | AMAR 6, Petrosian 5 (Bransi, 59 - 5), Idan Tal 6, Malihi 6; S. Avitan 5.5 | (Bialla, 86), Shemariyahu 5.5. ******** REFEREE: Haim Lipkovich (9). AUDIENCE: 800, Ironi Stadium, Herzliya. ********
Maccabee Herzliya turns into another sad excuse of the team, with the 6th consecutive loss, and it seems its coach Andrei Bal will lose his place to Shiya Feigenbaum. The team indeed had 2 opportunities, both of Vladimir Niederhaus (1, 68), but the first one found the post, and the second was parried by Ohad Cohen in one-to-one. Petakh-Tikwa scored the first goal with a header of Sharon Avitan, after a preparation of Idan Tal; Avitan pulled his shirt over and ran towards the cameras, when on the T-shirt underneath it was written: "Adi, will you marry me?" :-) During the dying minute, when Herzliya was desperately trying to equalize, it was a counterattack, in which the substitute Rajid Bransi passed the keeper Shuli Gilardi and scored the 2nd goal of the guests, ending their series of 5 games without a taste of victory.
Hapoel Jerusalem - BNEI-YEHUDA TEL-AVIV 1:3 (0:2). ---------------------------------------------------- Hosts: Victor Pacha (89). | Strauber 4.5; S. Amar 4 (Setti, 35 - 4), S. Mihei 4.5 (Gola, 26 - RED, 45), | A. Sason 4.5, Yogev 4; Mogieri 4.5, Costelnik 4 (M. Salman, 58 - 4.5), T. | Azulai 4.5, Shnorman 4.5; Pacha 4.5, Menakhem 4.5. On the 22nd minute Victor Pacha missed a penalty kick - Shaul Smadja saved. ******** Guests: Cobi Refua (18), OG (Amir Gola, 27), David Liberman (74). | Smadja 6; Y. Avihail 6, Fletcher 6, RONEN FEIGENBAUM 7, Caplan 6; Ballas 6, | Liberman 6 (Baldud, 81), Fibernik 6, Barkolin 6.5 (S. Mizrahi, 72); Madar | 6.5, Refua 6.5. ******** REFEREE: Shmuel Steiff (7). AUDIENCE: 1,500, Teddy Stadium, Jerusalem. ********
In a very strange game of a very low quality, Bnei-Yehuda wasn't much better than the hosts, but those suffered from every possible and impossible lack of luck. The opening goal was scored with the weakest possible shot of Cobi Refua, touching the heel of Shimon Yogev and misleading Liran Strauber; Jerusalem could've answered with a goal of its own, after a foul of Ronen Feigenbaum (great except for this moment) on Pacha, but Pacha himself shot the penalty hesitantly and made Shaul Smadja the hero; Moti Menakhem couldn't convert a very convenient rebound into a goal. In several minutes, there started a short but remarkable horror show of Amir Gola, who substituted the injured Stephan Mihei, scored an own goal with his first touch of the ball, and just before the break was sent off after slapping David Liberman in the face. Those were the posts of Yossi Madar (49) and Cobi Refua (53), and then Liberman punished Jerusalem once more, scoring into an empty net (74). In the garbage time, Pacha used a mistake of Smadja to pass him outside the box and to score with a cool arched ball from 20 meters, but it was too little and too late.
Hapoel Tsafririm Holon - HAPOEL RISHON LE-ZION 1:2 (1:1). ----------------------------------------------------------- Hosts: Samson Siasiah (19). | Y. Melika 5.5; Fleeter 5 (Ben-Barukh, 81), Khen 5, Sokher 5, Fur 4.5 | (Tsafrir, 46 - 4.5); B. Hadad 5, Shlomi Dahan 5, Zaric 4 (D. Kabeda, 63), | Daraselia 5, Flash 4.5; Siasiah 4.5. ******** Guests: Udi Kabudi (25), Avi Pitusi (72). | Y. Mizrahi 5; G. Deri 5, Y. Amar 6, T. Eliyahu 5, Albert 5.5; Sebeg injured | (Nussbaum, 10 - 5.5), Pitusi 5.5 (Agassi, 89), Markicevic 5.5, Capeta 5.5, | UDI KABUDI 6.5; Rafi Cohen 6 (Nakhmani, 81). ******** REFEREE: Yaacov Ben-Hemo (8). AUDIENCE: 1,500, Ironi Stadium, Holon. ********
A great mistake of Yaniv Mizrahi in clearing the simple ball out resulted in an opener, as the ball hit Samson Siasiah and rolled into the net (19); however, Holon answered with a mistake of its own, as Yaron Melika parried badly the shot of Rafi Cohen, and Udi Kabudi scored from an easy rebound. A great save of Melika from Kabudi's penetration (56) couldn't save Holon from another painful home loss, from Kabudi's corner and Avi Pitusi's header (72).
MACCABEE YAFFA - Maccabee Ironi Ashdod 1:0 (1:0). --------------------------------------------------- Hosts: Omri Afek (44). | Zoidze 6; Zeladzevic 6, Dan Levi 6.5, Rabinovich 6, U. Ohayon 6.5, Vaaknin | 6; G. Nakhman 6, Mahamid 6, Elmakeis 6.5; OMRI AFEK 7 (Rishti, 85), Kokhavi | 6 (Abu-Kishak, 88). ******** Guests: -. | Devadze 5.5; Martsiano 5, Masouli 5 (RED, 83), Fibakh 5 (Y. Offir, 55 - | 4.5), Spire 6.5; Almoshnino 5.5, Fadida 4.5 (Zrihen, 61), Balog 4.5, A. | Sharabi 5 (Galili, 81), Dego 6; Turgeman 5.5. ******** REFEREE: Meir Levi (8). AUDIENCE: 700, Gaon Stadium, Yaffa. ********
The first victory of Maccabee Yaffa this season, after a good combination of Oren Kokhavi - Nidal Mahamid - Omri Afek, and Yaffa also leaves the last place, though just by a goal difference. Ashdod, without Alberto Naveda and excluding Eliezer Spire and the keeper Akakiy Devadze, was awful, in a total contrast to its last game vs Maccabee Haifa. 7 minutes from time, it was another penetration of Omri Afek, the young discovery and "The Man Of The Game", and Geza Masouli, stopping him with a brutal foul in the midcircle, was sent off. Let's hope for Ashdod it plays better in the following games.
THE WEEK'S TEAM:
----------------
Dudu Awwat
(Hapoel Haifa)
Shmuel Levi Ronen Feigenbaum Dan Levi Eliezer Spire
(Beitar Jerusalem) (Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv) (Maccabee Yaffa) (M. Ironi Ashdod)
Goran Milenko Giovanni Rosso Reuven Attar Shalom Tikwa
(Hapoel Haifa) (Hapoel Haifa) (Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa) (Hapoel Tel-Aviv)
Moshe Glam Omri Afek
(Maccabee Tel-Aviv) (Maccabee Yaffa)
Hapoel Haifa - 3.
Maccabee Yaffa - 2.
Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa, Maccabee Tel-Aviv,
Beitar Jerusalem, Hapoel Tel-Aviv,
Maccabee Ironi Ashdod, Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv - 1.
PLACE TEAM G W T L Goals Points
1 (1) Hapoel Haifa 11 10 1 0 19- 2 31
2 (2) Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa 11 8 0 3 26-12 24
3 (3) Maccabee Haifa 11 7 2 2 29-10 23
4 (6) Maccabee Tel-Aviv 11 6 2 3 23-16 20
5 (4) Beitar Jerusalem 11 6 1 4 32-16 19
6 (5) Hapoel Tel-Aviv 11 6 1 4 19-14 19
7 (10) Maccabee Petakh-Tikwa 11 4 4 3 19-14 16
8 (7) Hapoel Jerusalem 11 5 1 5 19-21 16
9 (8) Hapoel Tsafririm Holon 11 4 3 4 16-10 15
10 (9) Hapoel Kefar-Saba 11 4 2 5 16-22 14
11 (11) Maccabee Ironi Ashdod 11 3 4 4 15-18 13
12 (13) Hapoel Rishon le-Zion 11 3 3 5 17-26 12
13 (14) Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv 11 3 2 6 16-22 11
14 (12) Maccabee Herzliya 11 3 0 8 11-20 9
15 (16) Maccabee Yaffa 11 1 1 9 6-29 4
16 (15) Hapoel Beit-Shean 11 1 1 9 6-37 4
IN BRACKETS - the places of the teams after the last week.
BEST PLAYER: Goran Milenko, midfielder, Hapoel Haifa.
TOP SCORERS: Moti Kakun (Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa) 12(1) 1(0)
**********************************************************
Offer Shitrit (Beitar Jerusalem) 9(0)
Alon Mizrahi (Maccabee Haifa) 9(1)
Amir Turgeman (Maccabee Ironi Ashdod) 9(3)
**********************************************************
Yossi Benayoun (Maccabee Haifa) 7(0) 1(0)
Victor Pacha (Hapoel Jerusalem) 7(0) 1(0)
Andrzej Kubica (Maccabee Tel-Aviv) 7(3) 1(0)
**********************************************************
Adrian Ungur (Hapoel Kefar-Saba) 6(0)
Rajid Bransi (Maccabee Petakh-Tikwa) 6(2) 1(0)
Avi Nimni (Maccabee Tel-Aviv) 6(2) 1(1)
**********************************************************
Assaf Tubi (Hapoel Tel-Aviv) 5(0) 1(0)
Samson Siasiah (Hapoel Tsafririm Holon) 5(0) 1(0)
Udi Kabudi (Hapoel Rishon le-Zion) 5(0) 1(0)
Cobi Refua (Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv) 5(0) 1(0)
Istvan Salloi (Beitar Jerusalem) 5(0)
Rafi Cohen (Hapoel Rishon le-Zion) 5(0)
Giovanni Rosso (Hapoel Haifa) 5(2) 1(0)
Yaniv Avvargeal (Hapoel Kefar-Saba) 5(2) 1(1)
NOTE - the penalties scored are put in brackets. The last
column means the number of goals scored this week.
THE NEXT ROUND (in a week):
| Hosts | Guests |
| Maccabee Tel-Aviv (4) | Hapoel Haifa (1) |
| Maccabee Ironi Ashdod (11) | Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa (2) |
| Maccabee Haifa (3) | Hapoel Tsafririm Holon (9) |
| Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv (13) | Beitar Jerusalem (5) |
| Hapoel Jerusalem (8) | Hapoel Tel-Aviv (6) |
| Maccabee Petakh-Tikwa (7) | Maccabee Yaffa (15) |
| Hapoel Kefar-Saba (10) | Hapoel Beit-Shean (16) |
| Hapoel Rishon le-Zion (12) | Maccabee Herzliya (14) |
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