Godsway Donio gave the Greens an early lead when he nodded home the opening goal of the game in the eighth minute, while Tjaron Chery doubled the advantage before the break when he took care of a Sun Menachem ball as Barak Bachar’s squad went into halftime up 2-0.
Muhammed Awaad continued the goal-fest with his first since returning to the Carmel while Omer Atzily pounced on a rebound off the bar to finish off the rout.
Maccabi Haifa will kick off in State Cup play against Hapoel Afula on Thursday.
“We have to keep playing well after not winning in our first two playoff games,” said Haifa coach Barak Bachar. “We knew that we had no choice but to come and show that we belong here. As each game goes by, we are coming closer to the end of the season and we all know the importance of taking the three points.”
Kiryat Shmona boss Kobi Refuah was satisfied with his team even after the loss
“Despite Haifa having dominated the first half, we still were able to come up with a few good chances,” said Refuah. “But the better team won the game and the second half was very tough. We’ll pick up the players and continue on with three home games.”
Meanwhile, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ashdod drew 1-1 at Bloomfield Stadium as the yellow-and-blue dropped out of first place.
After a scoreless opening frame, halftime substitute Yakov Brihen scored just three minutes into the second half to stun the hosts and give Ran Ben Shimon’s squad a 1-0 lead.
However, Enric Saborit took an Aleksandar Pesic ball and pounded it home to draw Patrick van Leeuwen’s side even. Maccabi pressed to find a winner to remain at the top of the table, but had to settle for a point as it will play once again on Wednesday in State Cup quarterfinal action.
“We didn’t start the game well and we looked slow with no energy,” Van Leeuwen explained. “We tried to change that up with substitutes, but I can’t tell you why we didn’t begin the game well. Sometimes these things happen. It looks like the game against Maccabi Haifa will determine the champion.”
Ashdod assistant coach Moshe Ohayon was proud of his players’ effort.
“I’m content and we began both halves very well,” said Ohayon. “We scored an excellent goal and then we let them control the pace as they have some excellent players. This was a point as we look to hit our goals.”
Elsewhere, Maccabi Petah Tikva and Hapoel Beersheba played to a dry goalless draw at the Moshava Stadium as very few chances were created in the Championship Playoff clash that saw each side take a point.
“You could say that the first half was extremely poor by both squads,” noted Beersheba coach Roni Levy. “The second half saw an improvement, but not enough to see a decisive moment. We need to be able to control the ball and create opportunities and we weren’t accurate enough to do so.”
Petah Tikva boss Guy Luzon took a similar perspective
“We played a good first half but we couldn’t finish,” said Luzon. “We had a chance as well in the second half, but we didn’t play as well and we lost too many balls and tried too many long passes.”
Also, Hapoel Tel Aviv slipped by Maccabi Netanya 1-0 as the Reds took three points at the Netanya Stadium to inch closer to remaining in the top league.
After Omri Altman’s 28th-minute penalty was saved by Raz Carmi, Ben Bitton scored from 18 meters out in the second half to give Nir Klinger’s team the victory.
Hapoel will now prepare for State Cup quarterfinal play at Hapoel Kfar Shelem on Tuesday.
“I haven’t slept well at night over the past while,” Klinger commented. “After a tough week we pulled ourselves together and we were much more aggressive and responsible in this match. Every step we take is important as is every point, but we aren’t celebrating anything yet. We need three or four more points to guarantee our survival.”
“Bitton scored a lucky goal from nowhere – a lucky strike,” lamented Netanya coach Raymond Atteveld. “We had a couple of chances and were better in the first half. I can credit the players for batting until the end.”
Hapoel Hadera dropped Hapoel Haifa 3-0 as Maxim Plakuschenko scored a brace to pace the hosts to the win and all the points.
Plakuschenko broke the deadlock just before the break with a brilliant free kick for a 1-0 lead while Odah Marshall doubled the advantage in the 56th minute.
After Haifa’s Eden Ben Bassat was sent off with a straight red card for a reckless foul, Plakuschenko added his second goal of the game as he jumped on a poor clearance to give Menachem Koretzky’s side the victory.
“Hapoel Hadera is staying in the league,” Koretzky happily stated following the game. “We put in a huge effort and we played an exceptional game. I am so proud of the players and they, along with the staff, deserve a ton of credit. What else can I say about Plakuschekno? He deserves all the compliments in the world. He’s young and he’s the leader of this team.”
The star of the show, Plakuschenko, reflected on his two-goal effort.
“I’m thrilled with the brace and it was the first of my career, but I am even happier about the win and the effort we put in.”
Haifa coach Elisha Levy was disheartened by the result.
“This is a big disappointment,” said Levy. “We played well last game and we had a great chance to move further away from the relegation zone, but we didn’t do it. We came up short both mentally and physically and Hadera was better than us.”
Bnei Sakhnin walloped Hapoel Kfar Saba 3-0 as Osama Khalaila scored a brace in the win for Sharon Mimer’s squad.
Beram Kayal and Ismaeel Ryan teamed up to get the ball to Khalaila in the first half as the up-and-coming striker scored to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. Ataa Jabar gave Sakhnin a 2-0 advantage in the 53rd minute, while Jabar sent the ball into the box 30 minutes later and Khalaila directed it behind Itamar Nitzan to seal the three points.
Sakhnin will face Beitar Tel Aviv/Bat Yam in State Cup play on Wednesday.
“We took a big step for our survival in the Premier League and with two or three more points we should complete the mission,” Mimer explained. “This was an important win, huge and we have to continue this way. Now we have to focus on the State Cup game midweek.”
“If we can’t score, then we for sure can’t win,” Kfar Saba coach Ravid Gezel said. “We haven’t won since February and we don’t deserve to remain in the top division.”