Shushan keeps Hap TA’s State Cup four-peat chances alive; Ramat Gan, Hap Haifa also in last 16.
By ALLON SINAIHAPOEL HAIFA players celebrate with Stefan Denkovic 370(photo credit: (Asaf Kliger)
Hapoel Tel Aviv’s dream of winning the State Cup for a fourth straight year remained a possibility on Wednesday night, but only just.Tel Aviv, which became the first team in 73 years to lift the cup three years in a row in 2012, needed a Mor Shushan goal in the 112th minute to defeat Hapoel Beersheba 2-1 at Vasermil Stadium and advance to the last 16.Omer Damari gave the visitors the lead in the 48th minute, but Beersheba equalized a minute later through Ido Eksbard and the match went into extra-time before Shushan’s header decided the outcome.In two other all-Premier League encounters on Wednesday, Hapoel Ramat Gan beat Ashdod SC 2-0 and Hapoel Haifa defeated Bnei Yehuda by the same score-line.Anton Arkhipov (53) and David Manga (77) scored for Ramat Gan, while Stefan Denkovic (39) and Maharan Lala (80) netted for Haifa.Maccabi Haifa had little trouble dispatching third division Hapoel Azur on Wednesday, winning 4-0 in Rishon Lezion.Haifa, which has won nine of its past 10 league matches to climb up to second place, didn’t take the lead until the 39th minute through Weeam Amasha, with Shlomi Azulai (50), Dino Ndlovu (72) and Alon Turgeman (79) also all finding the back of the net for the rampant Greens. Bnei Sakhnin survived a penalty shootout to overcome Upper Nazareth of the National League on the way to the last 16.Ibrahim Bassit gave Nazareth a fourthminute lead, but Ahmed Kasoum came to Sakhnin’s rescue with an 86th minute goal and the tie had to eventually be decided in a penalty shootout.Sakhnin ‘keeper Mahmud Kannadil saved Nazareth’s first two attempts and the visitors clinched a 4-2 win on penalties.Ironi Kiryat Shmona had no such problems against Hapoel Herzliya, thrashing the third division team 4-0 on the road.Shimon Abu Hazeira (45), Sintiyahu Salalik (55), Dan Eibinder (65) and Adrian Rochet (77) scored for Kiryat Shmona.Hapoel Kfar Saba was the only National League team to progress on Wednesday, defeating Maccabi Herzliya 2-1 after extra-time.Kfar Saba will be one of six National League teams in the last 16 draw, which will take place at Israel Football Association headquarters at National Stadium in Ramat Gan on Thursday.Two teams from the third division, Hapoel Afula and Asi Gilboa, will also be in the draw, with the remaining eight clubs hailing from the Premier League.Betar Jerusalem, which progressed to the last 16 with a 5-0 victory over Maccabi Umm al-Fahm on Tuesday, unveiled new signings Dzhabrail Kadiyev and Zaur Sadayev on Wednesday after the two completed their transfer from Chechen side Terek Grozny.Following owner Arkadi Gaydamak’s announcement that the club is set to sign the two Muslim players, fans raised a banner reading: “Betar [will be] pure forever” and sang anti-Arab chants during the 1-0 Premier League defeat to Bnei Yehuda on Saturday.The anti-Muslim bigotry led to widescale condemnation in Israel and abroad, with IFA chairman Avi Luzon revealing that FIFA and UEFA are following the happenings at Betar and could demand the club be shut down should the racism in the stands persist.However, Tuesday’s potentially volatile showdown with Umm al-Fahm went off without a hitch and Betar will be hoping that Kadiyev and Sadayev last at the club longer than its first Muslim player, Nigerian defender Ibrahim Nadalla, who was on the team only briefly in 2005 before leaving after experiencing consistent hostility from its supporters.
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