Beitar Jerusalem got by Hapoel Haifa 3-2 in an Israeli Premier League thriller at the Carmel Mountain.
The hosts grabbed a 1-0 lead when Ofek Bitton scored off of Porat Ayash’s ball that went off the post, but Adi Yona’s individual effort and shot from just at the top of the box drew the yellow-and-black even at 1-1 in the 47th minute. Yarden Shua then headed Yarden Cohen’s cross to the goal as Haifa’s Gorge Diva accidentally knocked it into his own goal, while Johnbosco Kalu beat Niv Antman from long range to give Beitar a 3-1 lead.
Roie Zikri scored off of Miguel Silva’s poor clearance to pull Haifa to within a goal, but that’s as close as it would get as Beitar took the win.
“It was a very important win for us,” said Beitar Jerusalem coach Barak Itzhaki. “Of course, there are still things to fix. We started well, we just didn’t move the ball fast enough. That happens to us a lot this season, and it’s a shame.”
Maccabi Haifa and Ironi Tiberias played to a dramatic 1-1 draw as Guy Hadida scored the tying goal deep into second-half injury time to split the points.
Trivante Stewart headed home a Kenny Saief corner kick to give the Greens a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute, but Hadida nodded in a Niv Gotlieb ball in the box in the 96th minute to stun Haifa and its new coach, Barak Bachar, and hand Tiberias a point.
'We needed to be more responsible'
Bachar summed up the game.
“We made a lot of mistakes in the added time. We needed to be more responsible and composed but it was chaotic. We should have killed the game at the end; we wanted to win and could have increased our lead. We need to learn from this. It’s the first match, so we need to analyze it calmly.”
Maccabi Tel Aviv downed Ironi Kiryat Shmona 3-1 as the yellow-and-blue took the three points at Bloomfield Stadium.
Dor Peretz opened the scoring in the 18th minute as he beat his former teammate Daniel Tenenbaum to put the home side up 1-0. But Kiryat Shmona equalized in first-half injury time after a Shay Ben David strike from a free-kick directly in front outside the box deflected off Ariel Sheratzky past Maccabi’s keeper Roi Mishpati to handle.
In the 50th minute, Ovadia Darwish pulled on Revivo’s shirt as he dribbled the ball into the box, resulting in a penalty. Elad Madmon converted from the spot for a Maccabi 2-1 lead, while substitute Ido Shahar scored in the second half, and added time to close out the win.
“They had a good press,” Maccabi coach Zarko Lazetic said. “So credit to them, but also a good job by us to adjust.”
Maccabi Netanya blanked Hapoel Tel Aviv 2-0 thanks to a pair of second-half goals by the diamond city side to take all the points.
After a goalless first half, Fernand Mayembo, the Hapoel captain, was issued his second yellow card and sent off in the 68th minute, leaving the Reds with 10 men, which Netanya quickly took full advantage of. Just minutes later, Karem Jaber sent a perfect cross into the middle of the box that Maor Levi put home for a 1-0 lead while Omri Shamir took advantage of sloppy defensive play in the 90th minute to seal the deal and hand Netanya the victory.
Hapoel Jerusalem and Bnei Sakhnin played to a goalless draw as each side had a terrific chance to break the deadlock in the second half. Still, both keepers – Sakhnin’s Muhammad Abu Nil and Jerusalem’s Nadav Zamir – stymied scoring opportunities as the sides split the points.
Finally, Hapoel Petah Tikva and Ashdod played to an entertaining 1-1 draw as the two squads split the points at the port city.
Chipyoka Songa took a through-ball and beat the Ashdod keeper in the 10th minute to give Petah Tikva a 1-0 lead, but Eugene Ansah scored in the box to draw the hosts even ahead of the break, as the match ended with each side taking a point.