Mac TA off to perfect start; Shirazi sidelined

Maccabi joined Ironi Kiryat Shmona, Ashdod SC and Hapoel Tel Aviv with two wins out of two.

By ALLON SINAI
Hapoel Tel Aviv coach Shirazi 311 (photo credit: Adi Avishai)
Hapoel Tel Aviv coach Shirazi 311
(photo credit: Adi Avishai)
An Eliran Atar goal gave Maccabi Tel Aviv its second straight victory to start the Premier League season on Monday night, with the yellow-and- blue defeating Maccabi Netanya 1-0 at National Stadium in Ramat Gan.
Tel Aviv was no where near as impressive as it was in last week’s win over Maccabi Haifa, but it picked up all three points courtesy of Atar’s 53rd-mintue strike, with the striker swiveling on the edge of the area before sending his shot into the bottom left corner.
Maccabi joined Ironi Kiryat Shmona, Ashdod SC and Hapoel Tel Aviv with two wins out of two.
Elsewhere, Hapoel Tel Aviv coach Nitzan Shirazi was admitted to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv on Monday for extensive checks due to the severe headaches he has been suffering from recently.
Shirazi sat on Hapoel’s bench during its 2-0 victory over Hapoel Haifa on Sunday, but it was his assistant Shavit Elimelech who instructed the players and spoke to the media after the match.
Shirazi told his squad ahead of the game that he is going through a rough period and Hapoel announced on Monday that Elimelech will continue to guide the team in his absence.
“There is no need to be dramatic,” Shirazi told the Hapoel website on Monday. “I believe in god and in the excellent doctors who are taking care of me. Sometimes there are potholes in life which you need to overcome and I hope that I will soon be able to return to coaching the team.”
Meanwhile, champion Ironi Kiryat Shmona completed its summer shopping on Monday, adding Dan Eibinder from Betar Jerusalem after signing defender Itzik Cohen from Maccabi Haifa.
The 23-year-old Eibinder showed plenty of promise at Betar last season and will give Kiryat Shmona coach Gili Landau another option in the midfield as he prepares for a busy schedule following the team’s progress to the Europa League group stage.
Betar will receive around NIS 1.5 million for the transfer of Eibinder which will allow it to add several new players to its depleted squad, including Hen Azrial from Maccabi Haifa.