Israeli teams continued in their attempt to qualify for European competitions and once again saw mixed results, while other squads featured in Toto Cup play in order to prepare for the new season.
Maccabi Haifa downed Rakow 1-0 in UEFA Conference League third-round qualifying first-leg action as an Eitan Azulay second-half goal gave the Greens a slight advantage heading into the return leg that will be played at the Nagyerdei Stadion in Debrecen.
After a fairly even first half that saw both sides with chances on either side of the pitch, it was Azulay who finally broke the deadlock as the midfielder took a ball in the box, turned 180 degrees, and slotted the ball into the far left-hand corner to give the visitors the 1-0 lead in the 61st minute.
The Polish squad picked up the pace over the final 30 minutes, forcing Haifa’s bench boss Diego Flores to make wholesale changes to freshen up the lineup. Peter Barath had a number of opportunities to draw the hosts even, but timely saves by ’keeper Georgiy Yermakov gave the Greens the one-goal advantage heading into the second leg in Hungary.
“It was a tough match,” Haifa head coach Diego Flores began following the game. “But the players pushed a lot in what was a hard and physical game. We played on a fast pitch as well. The effort of the players paid off with a win, but this is only the first half. The fans came and we heard them. Next week is a home game for us and they will be with us. This win is for them. No doubt next week in Hungary they will be there, push us, and help us get a good result.”
Azulay, the lone scorer, reflects on the game
“We won, but it’s only one half and there’s still another game, but this victory was very important to us. My goal was a bonus and the entire team helped me score it as we worked together. It wasn’t an easy game and this was a very good opponent, but we fought, both those who started and those who came off the bench. A huge thank you to our fans who came to support us – it’s important for us as they’re our 12th man.”
Meanwhile, Beitar Jerusalem fell 3-0 to Riga as the yellow-and-black conceded a trio of second-half goals in the first leg of Conference League third-round qualifying.
After a goalless first half that saw the Latvians dominate, the hosts finally broke through with a brace by Reginaldo Ramires, both coming off of corner kicks, while Baba Musah slotted home the third marker thanks to a free kick to close out the win.
The second leg will take place next week at the Stadionul Ilie Oana in Ploiesti, Romania.
“We weren’t in the game,” Beitar head coach Barak Itzhaki said. “There were only a few minutes at the end of the second half that we played well and that wasn’t good enough. We were taught a good lesson here and a lot of things didn’t work. We didn’t play at a good pace, we didn’t move the ball under pressure properly, there were turnovers that are very, very uncharacteristic of us, and from what we feared the most – the set pieces – we conceded three goals. We talked about it prior to the match and everything went the wrong way.”
In Toto Cup action, Hapoel Tel Aviv blanked Ashdod SC 2-0 as youngster Daniel Dappa continued to impress for the Reds.
The 17-year-old Dappa scored a brilliant goal off a Yazan Nasaar pass in the 23rd minute and then played facilitator when he turned in the box and found a wide-open oncoming Ran Binyamin in second-half injury time to finish off a 2-0 victory. With the win, Hapoel Tel Aviv will move into the semifinals of the Toto Cup where it will face Hapoel Beersheba down south this week.
“First of all, congratulations to the players,” Hapoel assistant coach Dusan Matovic began in place of the suspended Elyaniv Barda. “We advanced to the semifinals and that was our goal in the tournament. We scored at the start of the game and then again we found the back of the goal at the end of the matchup, and with a little luck we now have the chance to compete for the trophy. The atmosphere was crazy here with a lot of fans and we were able to score that second goal to send us into the semifinals on goal differential despite Hapoel Jerusalem having won 4-0 against Maccabi Netanya.”
Ashdod head coach Haim Silvas also reflected on the game.
“Although it’s the Toto Cup, we obviously want to win just like every game that we play. The first half saw us make a mistake here and a mistake there, but in the second half I was happy with how we played. However, we lacked quality up front and we are aware of that.”
Elsewhere, Hapoel Jerusalem demolished Maccabi Netanya 4-0 as four different goal scorers found the back of the net.
Guy Badash gave the Reds a 1-0 lead in the first half via the penalty spot, while Ofek Nadir, Orel Baye, and Andrew Idoko all scored in the second half to give the capital city squad the victory.
Jerusalem bench boss Ziv Arie looked back at the win.
“I said from the beginning of the year that the Toto Cup was not a goal for us, although we were close to advancing to the semifinals. This was another good preseason game for us and I hope that we arrive at the start of the league season ready to go. I enjoyed seeing the players’ commitment and their desire to learn.”
Netanya assistant Ohad Kadussi spoke about the game from his point of view in place of the suspended Yossi Abukasis.
“We wanted to win the game and it’s a shame that we lost with this result. We had some good chances, but it’s all part of the process we’re going through and I believe we’ll improve. A loss like this is good that it happened now and not in the league.”
Also, Bnei Sakhnin blanked Ironi Kiryat Shmona 1-0 on Matthew Cudjoe’s ninth-minute strike.
Sakhnin coach Sharon Mimer spoke about the game.
“There is no doubt that every victory is very important for our confidence and energy, and I am happy for the players because they worked very hard. Our squad is very shorthanded and we played against a team with an almost full roster, so congratulations to the guys.”
Shai Barda, Kiryat Shmona’s bench boss, said: “There are a lot of thoughts after this game and it’s good that they are happening now in the Toto Cup. The trick is to know how to correct these mistakes in training and we will do just that. I think we were not good enough with the ball, we were dull and tired, so this is a challenging time but we will get through it.”
Finally, Hapoel Haifa slipped by Ironi Tiberias 1-0 as Roy Nawi scored in the 92nd minute to give the Carmel Reds the win in Toto Cup play.