Maccabi Haifa drops points in shock draw with Bnei Sakhnin

It finally happened. Maccabi Haifa dropped it's first points of the season.

By SHARON SOLOMON
maccabi haifa 88 (photo credit: )
maccabi haifa 88
(photo credit: )
It finally happened. Maccabi Haifa dropped it's first points of the season. Bnei Sakhnin's inspiring performance resulted in a 2-2 draw with Roni Levy's team, spoiling the reigning champion's perfect first round record. Hapoel Tel Aviv thrashed Bnei Yehuda 4-0 and solidified its position at the second place in the league with young talent Gil Vermut instrumental in the win. Maccabi Petah Tikwa managed a minimal 1-0 win over Maccabi Netanya, thanks to a flash of genius by Salim Tuama. And Hapoel Petah Tikwa beat Hapoel Kfar Saba 2-1. The last game of Game Day 12 will be played tonight (20:50, Channel 10) at the Ramat Gan Stadium when Maccabi Tel Aviv hosts Betar Jerusalem. Maccabi coach Nir Klinger has not yet decided who will open up front, with Brazilian Jose Duarte and veteran Ofir Ben Haim leading candidates. Duarte has been involved in transfer rumours lately, with Upper Nazareth showing interest in the dynamic forward. Bnei Sakhnin 2, Maccabi Haifa 2 The reigning champion Maccabi Haifa was stunned in the second minute by Pasqual Kondafoni, who scored after a great move by Brazilian Gabriel Lima. But Roni Levy's players kept their focus and retaliated with two quick goals of their own in just a matter of minutes. Michael Zandberg sent in a low drive off Yaniv Katan's cross two minutes after Kondafoni's strike to level the score. Brazilian forward Gustavo Boccoli scored the second in the 9th minute when he glanced in Idan Tal's cross from close range. Sakhnin captain Abbas Suan found the equalizer in the 30th minute after he sent a fierce shot from 30 meters to leave goalkeeper Nir Davidovich helpless. Haifa left back Adoram Keisi was sent off in the 68th minute after a reckless tackle on Ahmed Kasum. But the hosts weren't able to take advantage in the remaining minutes and only managed to earn a point, spoiling Haifa‚s perfect record. Bnei Yehuda 0, Hapoel Tel Aviv 4 Young midfielder Gili Vermot was the star of the game and he capped his performance with a brilliant solo dribble move which he ended with a solid finish to make it 1-0 in the 30th minute. Eli Abarbanel was sent off in the 52nd minute, and it was one-way traffic after that. Omer Peretz (63), Elyaniv Barda (77) and Ibazito Ogabuna (86) completed the whitewash for Dror Kashtan‚s team. Maccabi Netanya 0, Maccabi Petah Tikva 1 Netanya forward Alen Masudi and Petah Tikva striker Omer Golan were suspended from this game after collecting five yellow cards, and the game seemed to be affected due to their absence. Petah Tikva was hoping for a good result after suffering a 4-0 drubbing to Lokomotiv Moscow in the UEFA cup on Wednesday. The first half was played at a slow pace, with Netanya looking to keep a clean sheet. Petah Tikva also concentrated on its defensive duties, with striker Stanislav Dovrovin showing very little resolve in attack. But the Luzon's managed to find the game winner in the 63rd minute, when substitute Kfir Edri made a slick run on the left flank and found Salim Tuama in the penalty area. The talented playmaker provided a clinical finish from ten meters to give the visitors their first win since September. Hapoel Petah Tikva 2, Hapoel Kfar Saba 1 Petah Tikva took an early lead in the 8th minute, when Erez Eliav found Elnatan Salami in the box, who coolly headed in to make it 1-0. The hosts struck again in the 15th minute, when Salami returned Eliav the favor and set him up for an easy goal. Eliav made no mistake and tapped in the ball, doubling his team‚s lead. Kfar Saba pulled one back just two minutes after the second goal, when Avi Knafo took advantage of a mix up in the blues defense to find the back of the net. But Nir Levin's blues held on and collected all three points from the fixture, leaving Hapoel Kfar Saba in the last place in the league. Ashdod SC 2, Upper Nazareth 1 In Friday afternoon's fixture, Ashdod SC kept their winning streak alive with a dramatic win over Motti Ivanir's Upper Nazareth with two goals in the second half. The visitors took the lead in the 34th minute, thanks to an Itai Shekhter piledriver. But the hosts conjured an impressive comeback in the second half, with Moshe Ohayon scoring the equalizer in the 70th minute and veteran striker Shai Holtzman netting the ball in the 88th minute which turned out to be the winning goal.