Mac TA back in first with emphatic triumph
12/02/2012 01:33
Yellow-and-blue thrash Sakhnin 4-0; Betar clinches dramatic victory at Netanya.
MACCABI TEL AVIV’S Munas Dabbur Photo: Asaf Kliger
Maccabi Tel Aviv returned to the top of the Premier League standings in
resounding fashion on Saturday night, thrashing Bnei Sakhnin 4-0 at Bloomfield
Stadium.
The yellow-and-blue dropped to second place on goal difference
last week despite defeating Hapoel Ramat Hasharon 4-3. However, it should now be
able to maintain its hold on first for at least a week after scoring four
unanswered goals on Saturday.
Maccabi netted a fortuitous opener in the
fourth minute, with Yoav Ziv’s cross taking a wicked deflection off Idan
Veitzman and flying into the back of the net over goalkeeper Mahmud Kannadil’s
head.
Eliran Atar took his personal tally for the season to 12 goals with
two second-half strikes (52, 60), with Munas Dabbur completing the rout in
stoppage time, scoring from the rebound of his missed penalty.
Hapoel Tel
Aviv visits third-placed Ashdod SC on Monday, but the Reds will need to win by
four goals to leapfrog their arch-rival back into first place.
A
93rd-minute winner by Avi Rikan gave Betar Jerusalem a dramatic 3-2 victory at
Maccabi Netanya on Saturday, taking the yellow-and-black up to fourth
position.
A superb finish by Rikan put Betar in front after 13 minutes,
but the score was all square at halftime after Dragan Ceran equalized with an
accurate free kick (27).
An unstoppable Eran Levy bullet from 20 meters
out gave Jerusalem the lead yet again (67), but the match seemed heading for a
stalemate after Serge Bongeli tied the score at 2-2 nine minutes later. However,
Rikan gave Betar all three points deep into stoppage time, securing the team’s
fifth win in its past seven matches.
David Manga ensured Eli Cohen’s
tenure as Hapoel Ramat Gan coach got off to a dream start on Saturday, scoring a
hat-trick to give his team a 3-0 win at Cohen’s former club Hapoel
Acre.
Cohen replaced Freddy David on Wednesday and guided Ramat Gan to
what was just its second win of the season thanks to Manga’s three second-half
goals (53, 68, 89).
Hapoel Beersheba also claimed just its second win of
the campaign on Saturday, beating Bnei Yehuda 1-0 thanks to Tomer Swisa’s
curling free kick in the 32nd-minute.
Champion Ironi Kiryat Shmona
continued its improvement of recent weeks, defeating Ramat Hasharon 2-0 courtesy
of Shimon Abu Hazeira’s brace (61, 64).
Hapoel Haifa hosts Maccabi Haifa
in the derby at Kiryat Eliezer Stadium on Sunday.