32 goals (the record of this season), 3 red cards, 5 scored penalties and 1 own goal - this was the breathtaking story of the last weekend. In addition, there were the good keepers' performances, the tough struggle and the temporary new leader in "The Best Scorers' List", 3 big margin victories and 2 comebacks. And even though we may finally state Hapoel Haifa remained without the European Cups participation (aside from the Intertoto Cup) and Hapoel Ashkelon relegated to the Country League, the story is yet far from being over - the Champions and the 2nd relegating squad are still unknown.
And so, the defending Champions Beitar Jerusalem had a hard time at home vs Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv, but its 3 Istvans made a goal and a goal pass each to give the hosts an important 3:1 victory. Hapoel Tel-Aviv looked away much more convincing than Hapoel Beer-Sheva, defeating the outsiders 4:1. In the derby of Haifa, the penalty of Alon Mizrahi brought a victory to Maccabee; Nir Davidovich and Arik Benado registered a fabulous performance that denied Hapoel from scoring even once. Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa managed to beat the stubborn squad of Maccabee Herzliya at home, 2:1 after being down before the break; the same was the home story of Hapoel Kefar-Saba, vs the bottom team of Hapoel Ashkelon which has officially relegated. The big victories were registered as well by Maccabee Tel-Aviv, 4:1 at home vs Hapoel Beit-Shean, and by Hapoel Rishon le-Zion, 5:1 vs Hapoel Jerusalem at home; the team of Yossi Mizrahi, facing the coming Cup final against Maccabee Haifa, suddenly found itself in a real trouble in the League. And Maccabee Petakh-Tikwa was non-existent on the pitch during the 2nd half of its away game in Ashdod; however, the 1st half advantage was enough to claim an easy victory over the declining Maccabee Ironi Ashdod, 3:2. Time for the details!
Starting a very charged game vs the deteriorating squad of Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv at home, Beitar Jerusalem knew it should win at any rate in order to maintain the gap from Hapoel Tel-Aviv or even to increase it; however, this was very far from being easily accomplished, as for the guests it was the game of "make or break" as well. Beitar failed to score an early goal, due to the misses and the reliable game of the National keeper Rafi Cohen in the outsiders' net; moreover, the best opportunity to score belonged to Yaniv Cohen (41), but his shot from 5 meters found a spectacular save of Itzhak Korenfein. Seconds before the break, the dam was finally broken, when Istvan Salloi got a wonderful ball from Istvan Pisont and opened the score, 1:0. 6 minutes in the 2nd half, a wonderful back scissors kick of Istvan Salloi became a brilliant preparation for the goal of Istvan Hamar, 2:0. [For those of you who love statistics - in the unforgettable game between these 2 teams in 1992-93, finished with the same score but in favor of Bnei-Yehuda, a mirror image of this goal was scored, with the same magnificent preparation (Alon Mizrahi) and the cool finish (the late Kudritskiy)]. However, Korenfein, otherwise incredible, made his only mistake of the game when he knocked Cobi Refua down in his box (56), and Yuval Naim sent the penalty reducer in, just 2:1. From that moment on, all the pressure was of Bnei-Yehuda, with Beitar performing (at home!) just some occasional counterattacks; however, in one of those it was the preparation of Istvan Hamar to Istvan Pisont, and the latter was calm enough in front of Rafi Cohen to sign up the final score (86). And still, after the game the reactions and the feelings were surprisingly mixed, as Beitar became nervous and disappointed, while Bnei-Yehuda found a place for the careful optimism.
And why is that? Because of the result of the another highly charged game in Beer-Sheva, no doubt of that. And here Hapoel Tel-Aviv, the runners-up, had no problems against "The Princes Of Negev", in the awful season of the latters. Indeed, it took Hapoel Tel-Aviv 55 minutes to open the score, but then a brilliant free kick from 18 meters taken by Georgi Daraselia, found Shaul Smadja moveless, 1:0. In another 9 minutes, a great penetration of Offer Shitrit was finished with a good shot under the bar; 12 minutes from time, a wide pass of Shitrit to Daraselia made Amir Avigdor interfere with the ball and send it into the wrong net. When it was sparkling clear the game was over, the teams still exchanged goals - Alon Riff produced a good reducer from inside the box to the far-away corner of Shavit Elimelekh, after the goal pass of Yair Simhon, and Offer Shitrit scored the last minute penalty kick after a dubious foul on Asi Domb. This way, Shitrit scored his 6th goal (and 3rd penalty) in 2 games (!), became "The Star Of The Week" for the 2nd week in a row, and also conquered "The Best Scorers' List" top. And Hapoel still looks optimistically to the future - in 2 games, it's completely possible to close the gap of just 1 point, especially when Beitar plays vs the desperate team of Hapoel Beit-Shean away the next weekend.
However, Shitrit won't have an easy life as well - the other scorers of the League will see to it, including the Hungarians of Beitar and Alon Mizrahi of Maccabee Haifa. In Haifa's derby, Mizrahi scored the only goal, seconds before the break - Alon Halfon fouled Offir Koppel in his box, and Dudu Awwat was sent to the opposite from the ball corner after a clever misleading move. However, most of the time Hapoel endangered Maccabee's net, but in vain - Arik Benado did a remarkable job in guarding the dangerous Ronen Harazi, and when the chances fell to the other players, Nir Davidovich was always there. The young keeper flew greatly to parry the dangerous far-rangers of Ran Ben-Shimon (51) and Goran Milenko (67); when Milenko finally managed to surprise with a magnificent curved ball from 19 meters, he found Davidovich parrying the ball to a corner in an incredible in its beauty flight (74). The chances of Hapoel belonged as well to Dmitriy Ulyanov (55, the post) and Liron Basis (88, missed the frame), and Maccabee had its dangerous counterattack, but failed to score - Awwat blocked a cool penetration of Ibrahim Doro (85), and Vladimir Niederhaus tried to send the rebound in, but missed the frame. The end of the game found Hapoel Haifa very upset, and the disappointment was well explained ironically by ... Alon Mizrahi: "Hapoel wanted to play in Europe and declared this aspiration openly. Well, they have fulfilled their dreams - they will play in Europe. In the Intertoto Cup".
Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa, having finished the season in quite an early stage, was playing at home vs Maccabee Herzliya that fights for its life in the National League. 7 minutes before the break, Santos Sierra of Herzliya headed the ball in past Shai Hess and opened the score for the guests; in the 2nd half, the two had a duel again, but this time Hess was the winner with a brilliant save. And this miss turned out to be crucial for Herzliya. 13 minutes from time, a dubious penalty was awarded against the guests, for the foul of Guy Gat on the fresh young substitute Yossi Rosen, and Eli Abrabanel (Moti Kakun was suspended for the yellow cards) converted it into an equalizer. And seconds in an injury time, it was a penetration of Ilan Boaron and a great wide ball to Eran Prizant who headed it in, 2:1 to the hosts. The disappointment of Herzliya was huge, as the team was attacking for 10 consecutive minutes beforehand, but saw Shai Hess in a really good day of his.
Maccabee Petakh-Tikwa, coming to Ashdod, had a surprisingly easy time during the 1st half of the game - it seems Ashdod still fails to digest the trauma of the lost Cup semifinals. Tsakhi Shemariyahu used two hesitant saves of Guy Nakhshon (5) and opened the score, and Idan Tal sent a great free kick in from 17 meters, hitting the post and the keeper in its way (40); in between, Golan Malul made a great save from Krasimierz Muskal's shot (35). Seconds before the break, Oren Gabai saw a bad position of Nakhshon and tried to curve a ball out of the keeper's reach, the ball hitting the bar and going into the ground; unlike in the WC'66 final game, here it was a clear and undoubtful goal, and the referee Moshe Atias sent off Ashdod's defender Gal Fibakh who loudly protested against the decision, using obscenities as well. Surprisingly enough, Ashdod returned full of motivation to the 2nd half and managed to score 2 good goals through the preparations of Yossi Madar - once, Igal Zrihen passed the keeper and rolled the ball in (59), and once, it was a curved shot of a fresh substitute Avi Pinto to the bar of Golan Malul and in (89). And still, all the points went to Petakh-Tikwa, and Ashdod found itself the 10th, the lowest position of the team this season.
The same Cup semifinals trauma was probably roaming over Hapoel Jerusalem as well as over Ashdod, though the team of Yossi Mizrahi advanced to the final; how is it possible to explain otherwise that it lost to Hapoel Rishon le-Zion with a humiliating score of 1:5 away? Rafi Cohen opened the score after just 5 minutes, due to a good preparation of Avi Pitusi; in another 10 minutes, Nissan Capeta raised the free kick into the box, and Tomer Eliyahu was there with a header, 2:0. Hapoel reduced the score quickly, through the header of Moti Ohayon after Laszlo Czeh's preparation (17); however, Rishon scored immediately again, through Dani Albert (18) after another preparation of Capeta. The game became quiet and uneventful then, until Amir Gola was sent off with a 2nd yellow card (66), followed soon by Shlomi Danino with a direct red card (71). With the 2 goals and 2 players advantage, Rishon had no problem to accomplish the mission with glamour - and those were the 2 heroes of the game, Nissan Capeta (79) and Rafi Cohen (90), who made the humiliation complete.
2 games are still to be talked about, and let's start with Maccabee Tel-Aviv as a team that finally promised itself another National season; who would've thought it could be a reason for joy in such the stage of the season? Driks opened the score, after 17 minutes of play - Meir Cohen caught the ball but then collided with his own defender Ami Azulai and slipped it away, the veteran forward curved the ball to the far corner from 18 meters without actually seeing the net, and Eitan Taib failed to save it from the goal-line. Another mistake of Cohen came after another 10 minutes, when Guy Tsarfati performed a corner kick, and Alon Brumer was left undisturbed to head it in, 2:0; 5 minutes before the break, it was the goal pass of the same Tsarfati to Elek Nyilas who registered a solo penetration and rolled the ball past the diving keeper, 3:0. Before the break, Beit-Shean had 2 opportunities, but Shimon Danan found the bar, and his brother Avi Danan found Uvarov in "The Save Of The Week" - the ball was going past the keeper and into an opposite direction, but Uvarov threw an instinctive hand and deflected the ball to the right post and out. In the 2nd half, Sergen Culakovic was fouled by Alon Brumer inside the box, and Eitan Taib reduced the score from a penalty spot; however, the last word was said again by Driks, great when even aged. Getting the ball at the left wing, 11 minutes from time, the forward saw no help coming to him, and decided to steer himself. One player was left behind, and then another; the 3rd player was passed, when Driks rushed into the box, and then he sent a flat ball past the diving Meir Cohen, "The Goal Of The Week". 4:1 to Maccabee.
And finally, it was the game in Kefar-Saba that finally made the relegation of Hapoel Ashkelon official. It looked good for Ashkelon in the beginning, as Sagi Eini used a mistake of Eran Scheinsinger and rolled the ball in after a bad save, 1:0 to the guests. However, Kefar-Saba had 2 good minutes in the 2nd half, and this was enough to make the story look completely different. A header of Laszlo Komodi (63) and a great shot of Eliezer Spire (65) gave a comeback and a victory to Hapoel Kefar-Saba. Ashkelon will have to learn now how Beitar Beer-Sheva plays - and, probably, Hapoel Beer-Sheva as well?..
THE NEXT ROUND (in a week): Hapoel Beit-Shean (12) hosts Beitar Jerusalem (1) in Beit-Shean or somewhere else, NOT TO BE MISSED!!! Hapoel Jerusalem (11) hosts Hapoel Beer-Sheva (15) in a game that will be very tough and meaningful for the bottom struggles. Other games to be mentioned - Hapoel Tel-Aviv (2) vs Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa (5), Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv (14) vs Hapoel Haifa (3), Maccabee Herzliya (13) vs Hapoel Ashkelon (16).
BEITAR JERUSALEM - Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv 3:1 (1:0).
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Hosts: Istvan Salloi (45), Istvan Hamar (51), Istvan Pisont (86).
Guests: Yuval Naim (56 pen).
THE BEST: Istvan Hamar, midfielder, Beitar Jerusalem.
Hapoel Beer-Sheva - HAPOEL TEL-AVIV 1:4 (0:0).
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Hosts: Alon Riff (84).
Guests: Georgi Daraselia (55), Offer Shitrit (64, 90 pen),
OG (Amir Avigdor, 78).
THE BEST: Offer Shitrit, forward, Hapoel Tel-Aviv.
Hapoel Haifa - MACCABEE HAIFA 0:1 (0:1).
-----------------------------------------
Hosts: -.
Guests: Alon Mizrahi (45 pen).
THE BEST: Arik Benado, defender, Maccabee Haifa.
HAPOEL PETAKH-TIKWA - Maccabee Herzliya 2:1 (0:1).
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Hosts: Eli Abrabanel (77 pen), Eran Prizant (90).
Guests: Santos Sierra (38).
THE BEST: Ilan Boaron, defender, Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa.
Maccabee Ironi Ashdod - MACCABEE PETAKH-TIKWA 2:3 (0:3).
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Hosts: Igal Zrihen (59), Avi Pinto (89).
Guests: Tsakhi Shemariyahu (5), Idan Tal (40), Oren Gabai (45).
RED: Gal Fibakh, defender, Maccabee Ironi Ashdod, 45.
THE BEST: Idan Tal, midfielder, Maccabee Petakh-Tikwa.
HAPOEL RISHON LE-ZION - Hapoel Jerusalem 5:1 (3:1).
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Hosts: Rafi Cohen (5, 90), Tomer Eliyahu (15), Dani Albert (18),
Nissan Capeta (79).
Guests: Moti Ohayon (17).
RED: Amir Gola, midfielder, Hapoel Jerusalem, 66.
Shlomi Danino, defender, Hapoel Jerusalem, 71.
THE BEST: Nissan Capeta, midfielder, Hapoel Rishon le-Zion.
HAPOEL KEFAR-SABA - Hapoel Ashkelon 2:1 (0:1).
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Hosts: Laszlo Komodi (63), Eliezer Spire (65).
Guests: Sagi Eini (29).
THE BEST: Tomer Shem-Tov, defender, Hapoel Kefar-Saba.
MACCABEE TEL-AVIV - Hapoel Beit-Shean 4:1 (3:0).
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Hosts: Eli Driks (17, 79), Alon Brumer (27), Elek Nyilas (40).
Guests: Eitan Taib (67 pen).
THE BEST: Eli Driks, forward, Maccabee Tel-Aviv.
THE WEEK'S TEAM:
----------------
Nir Davidovich
(Maccabee Haifa)
Tomer Shem-Tov Gabor Marton Arik Benado Offer Talker
(Hapoel Kefar-Saba) (Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa) (Maccabee Haifa) (Hapoel Haifa)
Istvan Hamar Guy Tsarfati Nissan Capeta Shalom Tikwa
(Beitar Jerusalem) (Maccabee Tel-Aviv) (H. Rishon le-Zion) (Hapoel Tel-Aviv)
Offer Shitrit Eli Driks
(Hapoel Tel-Aviv) (Maccabee Tel-Aviv)
Hapoel Tel-Aviv, Maccabee Haifa, Maccabee Tel-Aviv - 2.
Beitar Jerusalem, Hapoel Haifa, Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa,
Hapoel Rishon le-Zion, Hapoel Kefar-Saba - 1.
THE BEST GOAL:
MO: Eli Driks (the 2nd).
ALSO - Oren Gabai, Georgi Daraselia.
THE BEST SAVE:
MO: Alexander Uvarov, from Avi Danan, 45.
ALSO - Nir Davidovich, from Goran Milenko, 74.
Itzhak Korenfein, from Yaniv Cohen, 41.
PLACE TEAM G W T L Goals Points
1 (1) Beitar Jerusalem 28 18 9 1 67-31 63
2 (2) Hapoel Tel-Aviv 28 19 5 4 40-14 62
3 (3) Hapoel Haifa 28 15 9 4 50-24 54
4 (4) Maccabee Haifa 28 14 7 7 44-30 49
5 (5) Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa 28 11 6 11 38-38 39
6 (6) Maccabee Petakh-Tikwa 28 8 12 8 27-28 36
7 (8) Hapoel Rishon le-Zion 28 10 6 12 38-45 36
8 (9) Hapoel Kefar-Saba 28 9 8 11 34-36 35
9 (12) Maccabee Tel-Aviv 28 8 9 11 33-34 33
10 (7) Maccabee Ironi Ashdod 28 8 9 11 37-46 33
11 (10) Hapoel Jerusalem 28 7 10 11 32-42 31
12 (11) Hapoel Beit-Shean 28 8 7 13 31-43 31
13 (13) Maccabee Herzliya 28 7 9 12 33-39 30
14 (14) Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv 28 7 7 14 23-37 28
15 (15) Hapoel Beer-Sheva 28 6 9 13 37-56 27
16 (16) Hapoel Ashkelon 28 5 6 17 24-45 21
IN BRACKETS - the places of the teams after the last week.
BEST PLAYER: Offer Shitrit, forward, Hapoel Tel-Aviv.
TOP SCORERS: Offer Shitrit (Hapoel Tel-Aviv) 17(6) 2(1)
***********************************************************
Alon Mizrahi (Maccabee Haifa) 16(3) 1(1)
***********************************************************
Istvan Salloi (Beitar Jerusalem) 15(2) 1
***********************************************************
Eli Driks (Maccabee Tel-Aviv) 14(0) 2
Yossi Benayoun (Hapoel Beer-Sheva) 14(4)
***********************************************************
Istvan Pisont (Beitar Jerusalem) 13(0) 1
***********************************************************
Nir Sevilla (Beitar Jerusalem) 12(0)
***********************************************************
Liron Basis (Hapoel Haifa) 11(0)
Assaf Tubi (Hapoel Jerusalem) 11(2)
Moti Kakun (Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa) 11(6)
***********************************************************
Igal Zrihen (Maccabee Ironi Ashdod) 9(0) 1
***********************************************************
Rafi Cohen (Hapoel Rishon le-Zion) 8(0) 2
Istvan Hamar (Beitar Jerusalem) 8(0) 1
[3: Hap. Haifa] Sergen Culakovic (Hapoel Beit-Shean) 8(0)
Yossi Madar (Maccabee Ironi Ashdod) 8(2)
Eitan Taib (Hapoel Beit-Shean) 8(5) 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 |
| Hapoel Beit-Shean (12) | Beitar Jerusalem (1) |
| Hapoel Tel-Aviv (2) | Hapoel Petakh-Tikwa (5) |
| Bnei-Yehuda Tel-Aviv (14) | Hapoel Haifa (3) |
| Maccabee Haifa (4) | Hapoel Rishon le-Zion (7) |
| Maccabee Petakh-Tikwa (6) | Maccabee Tel-Aviv (9) |
| Maccabee Ironi Ashdod (10) | Hapoel Kefar-Saba (8) |
| Hapoel Jerusalem (11) | Hapoel Beer-Sheva (15) |
| Maccabee Herzliya (13) | Hapoel Ashkelon (16) |
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