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Beitar edges Ashdod with dramatic injury-time winner, Beersheba thumps K8 to stay on top.
By JOSHUA HALICKMAN DECEMBER 18, 2024 01:49
MACCABI TEL AVIV players celebrate after their third goal during Monday night’s 3-2 road victory over Hapoel Jerusalem at Teddy Stadium.
(photo credit: MACCABI TEL AVIV/COURTESY)
Beitar Jerusalem edged Ashdod SC 3-2 this week in Israel Premier League action as Jean Marcelin scored deep into second-half injury time to secure the three points.
Dor Micha gave the yellow-and-black a 1-0 lead when he slotted home Yarden Shua’s through ball, but Ilay Tamam drew even just three minutes later when his long ball glanced off Gil Cohen and redirected into the Beitar net.
The visitors retook the lead in the 26th minute when Mohammad Knaan tried to steal the ball but accidentally put it behind his own ’keeper. However, Roy Levy scored just before the break to send the teams into halftime all knotted up at 2-2.
As the game seemed destined for a split of the points, Marcelin took advantage of a mix-up in the hosts’ box and put the ball into the right corner of the goal to hand Barak Itzhaki’s team the victory.
“It was a roller coaster of a game, and I knew it would be from the start,” Itzhaki said after the match. “At halftime, I told the players that no matter how, this game had to be won. Marcelin has been going through a difficult time as a foreigner in a new country, but I’m very, very happy with his play and happy for him. I hope this will give him a boost forward.”
“The loss is very painful; we deserved a victory,” Ashdod assistant coach Klemi Saban said. “We played a good game, and the crowd enjoyed it too, but we didn’t deserve to lose. We lacked a bit of luck, but now we’re looking ahead.”
First-place Hapoel Beersheba
Meanwhile, first-place Hapoel Beersheba beat Ironi Kiryat Shmona 5-1 as the southerners grabbed a 4-0 lead by halftime and never looked back.
Dan Biton slammed home a Paul Garita ball in the 5th minute for a 1-0 lead, while Helder Lopes headed in a Kings Kangwa pass to double the advantage 25 minutes later. Lopes then returned the favor, setting up Kangwa to find the back of the net in the 39th minute. Just before the break, Garita slotted home an Eliel Peretz through ball to give Beersheba a commanding 4-0 lead.
Christian Martinez pulled a goal back via penalty in the 76th minute after Niv Eliasi was shown a red card for handling the ball outside of the box. However, Alon Turgeman finished off the masterpiece with a strike late to seal the win.
“We were unstoppable,” Beersheba coach Ron Kozuk began. “The guys came into the game committed and knew what needed to be done. The players have a lot of ambition, and this was an excellent performance by everyone. I want to see what our ceiling is. We want to constantly improve and move forward. If we are challenged down the road, hopefully, we will know how to handle it.”
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Teddy Stadium match
In the capital city, Maccabi Tel Aviv downed Hapoel Jerusalem 3-2 in an entertaining match at Teddy Stadium.
Joris van Overeem opened the scoring in the 36th minute to give the visitors a 1-0 lead, but ex-Maccabi striker Matan Hozez’s right-footed stunner drew the sides even a quarter-hour later. However, Sagiv Yehezkel converted a penalty, and substitute Dor Peretz scored within three minutes of each other to give Zarko Lazetic’s squad a 3-1 lead in the 68th minute. Samba cut the lead to 3-2 in the 91st minute, but that was as close as the Reds would get as Maccabi closed out the victory.
“We controlled the game well and pressed well throughout,” Lazetic said post-match. “We conceded two goals out of three attempts, but that’s football. We’ll know where we need to improve for the next game. I’m happy with the game we played, how we pressed, and how we controlled the ball, but we looked a little tired. I expect a little more sharpness.”
Elsewhere, Maccabi Haifa and Ironi Tiberias played to a goalless draw as the two sides split the points.
“You can’t argue with results and ability,” Haifa coach Barak Bachar said. “We started the game well but weren’t sharp enough up front. We had some bad minutes in the second half and just didn’t have enough to win. I built the squad, I’m happy with it, but we need to get more out of it.”
“We’re happy with the point,” Tiberias coach Eliran Hodeda added. “Drawing this game wasn’t something we expected at the start of the season. When we play the big teams, we play tighter defense. We have to take points no matter from who or where.”
Hapoel Haifa blanked Hapoel Hadera 3-0 as striker Guy Melamed scored a brace to help the Carmel Reds take the win and three points.
Melamed opened the scoring with a perfectly placed free kick in the 15th minute and doubled the advantage in the second half by pouncing on a rebound. Yonatan Ferber added the third strike in the 76th minute with a shot from outside the box to seal the victory.
“I think we’ve come back from the break playing very well,” Haifa coach Roni Levy said. “Even if the results haven’t always shown it, we deserved more against Beitar Jerusalem and Maccabi Tel Aviv. But our level of play is improving, and everyone is working hard, which is a trend we want to continue. We’ll enjoy this victory but continue working hard.”
Maccabi Petah Tikva and Bnei Sakhnin played to a 1-1 draw at Moshava Stadium.
Kevin Soni was shown a red card for a reckless foul in the 27th minute, leaving the hosts with 10 men, but Tamir Luzon’s squad took a 1-0 lead via Matthew Cudjoe in the 72nd minute. However, Renato Gojkovic scored in the 86th minute to level the match as both teams earned a point.
Finally, Maccabi Netanya defeated Maccabi Bnei Reineh 2-0 as Yuval Sadeh scored in the first half, while Loai Halaf found the back of the net in the second to seal the win and three points.
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