Beitar Jerusalem overwhelmed Hapoel Haifa 5-0 as five different goal scorers found the back of the net, with the yellow-and-black punching its ticket to the Toto Cup final, where it will face Hapoel Tel Aviv for the first title of the season.
Beitar pressed from the get-go, and their efforts paid off when Johnbosco Kalu slotted home a Timoti Muzie ball in the 28th minute, and Omer Atzili curled in a stunner of a goal two minutes later to give the hosts a 2-0 lead at the break.
The second half started just as the first half ended with another impressive goal from Beitar, as Atzili executed a clever backheel to Yarin Levy at the top of the box, who controlled the ball with his head and then powered a shot that beat Carmel Red keeper Niv Antman cleanly for a 3-0 lead in the 48th minute.
Next up was ex-Haifa striker Dor Hugi, as he made his way toward the area and scored a screamer against his former team, while youngster Ziv Ben Shimol put away a penalty kick to give Beitar a 5-0 lead as it cruised to victory.
“There were some things we did well and some things that we can still improve on,” Beitar Jerusalem head coach Barak Itzhaki began.
“There is never a perfect game, but we will continue on and be ready for the league. We had a ton of fans here, and I’m happy that we were able to give them something to cheer about. We have worked hard in the preseason and each time we have played we are continuing to gain confidence, but we have to keep our feet on the ground.”
Itzhaki also spoke about how crucial it was to have five different players score.
“It’s very good, and it’s important that we have so many guys that can score. It gives so much confidence to the players, and there were some who made their debuts here at Teddy Stadium, which was also an experience in itself to feel the crowd and the fans.”
Hapoel Haifa coach Gal Arel spoke about the game from his viewpoint.
“The first 20 minutes, we had some chances, but once Jerusalem scored and the fans really got into the game at Teddy Stadium, Beitar got into a rhythm that just couldn’t be stopped. This was still a preseason game, and although it was the Toto Cup semifinal, it was a good tune-up for the regular season.”
Beitar Jerusalem’s acting captain Gil Cohen reflected on the game.
“Hats off to the guys. We saw what we have been doing in practice, and we put it into play in this game. We have to continue how we played here in the league, which begins this weekend. The European games definitely helped us in our preparation for the season and we will be ready when we play. The fans gave us a real good push and they allowed us to play our game, but we will have to do without them next week.”
Hapoel Tel Aviv defeats Hapoel Beersheba
In the other semifinal, Hapoel Tel Aviv blanked Hapoel Beersheba 2-0 as the visitors scored a goal in each half thanks to a pair of Ran Binyamin steals and assists to advance to the final of the Toto Cup Preseason Tournament.
Tel Aviv got on the board when Binyamin stole the ball in the middle of the pitch and sent a perfect pass to Liran Rotman, who shook off Beersheba captain Miguel Vitor and scored off his own rebound in the 38th minute to give Elyaniv Barda’s squad a 1-0 lead.
Binyamin again stripped the Southern Reds of the ball, waltzed into the box, and gave youngster Amit Lemkin a nifty ball that the latter pounded past a helpless Niv Eliasi to add the insurance goal in the 67th minute and send the newly promoted club to the championship game.
Hapoel Tel Aviv assistant coach Dusan Matovic, who was on the sidelines in place of Elyaniv Barda (serving a two-match sideline ban), summed up the match.
“We played an excellent game, and throughout the entire 90 minutes, we worked well tactically, scored two goals, and created even more chances. The players deserve all the credit. I’m happy that we played a good game, but there are also things we need to improve. Everyone who played did an amazing job. But as I had said in the previous Toto Cup games, this is preparation for the league, so we have to stay grounded. Next week it’s money time when the league begins against Kiryat Shmona.”
Hapoel Beersheba bench boss Ran Kozuk said, “It’s very disappointing to lose in front of our fans and also lose a chance to win the title. You can’t make two mistakes like we did and want to win football games, it just won’t work.”
Rotman, who scored the opening goal of the game, added: “This was an exciting contest, an excellent one to boot. Our supporters came to Beersheba in huge numbers and cheered us on the entire game, and they deserve a good word for their efforts. Of course, it’s also fun to score my first goal of the season, but now we’re already looking toward the league. This is not a victory that can be taken for granted, against an excellent team on a difficult pitch. I think we’ll see many more victories like this against some of the big teams.”
Beersheba defender Matan Baltaxa said, “We really wanted to win, but it didn’t work out. We controlled the game, but we made mistakes and paid for them. When you make mistakes like that, you can’t win. It’s hard to put your finger on what’s not working for us.”
Maccabi Bnei Reineh defeats Maccabi Haifa
In Toto Cup classification games, Maccabi Bnei Reineh defeated Maccabi Haifa 2-0 with a brace from Mohammed Shaker.
Maccabi Tel Aviv edged out Hapoel Jerusalem 2-1, thanks to goals from Sayed Abu Farkhi and Dor Turgeman. Heriberto Tavares scored the only goal in Maccabi Netanya’s 1-0 win over Ironi Kiryat Shmona.
Noam Gisin scored the game-winning goal in Hapoel Petah Tikva’s 3-2 victory over Ironi Tiberias. Bnei Sakhnin beat Ashdod SC 2-2 (5-4 on penalties) after mounting a late-game comeback with two goals in second-half injury time.