It’s not every day you see a hat-trick, but Beitar Jerusalem captain Yarden Shua delivered just that in a dazzling 5-0 win over Ironi Tiberias.
Despite rumors that he would sit out due to a knee issue ahead of the Jerusalem derby over the weekend, Shua started and made the most of it, scoring three goals before the 20th minute, first off a loose ball, then from a corner, and finally by tipping in a Johnbosco Kalu header. Dor Hugi and Adi Yona added a fourth and fifth as Beitar dominated throughout, moving to 26 points after 11 rounds and just three behind leader Hapoel Beersheba.
“I’m very happy that I scored the first hat-trick of my career,” Shua exclaimed. “I’m happy first of all that the team won and we brought the points home and with God’s help we’ll continue like this. I’m not someone who likes to force things, let’s put it that way, but I got the chance to come more into my areas of preference on the pitch and I tried to score."
Meanwhile, Maccabi Tel Aviv managed a narrow 2-1 win over Hapoel Haifa despite playing a man down after Ido Shachar received a straight red card.
Sayed Abu Farhi and Dor Peretz scored for the yellow-and-blue, while Javon East pulled one back for Haifa late.
Coach Zarko Lazetic lauded his squad’s intensity, while Haifa’s Gal Arel lamented the second-half collapse.
Meanwhile, Maccabi Haifa earned a 2-1 victory over Hapoel Tel Aviv for the first time in eight attempts under Barak Bachar.
After a scoreless first half, Dolev Haziza converted a penalty and Guy Melamed added a second, with Roy Korine pulling one back for the Reds late.
Bachar called the win “like a birth,” praising his team’s resilience under pressure. Hapoel’s Elyaniv Barda noted missed opportunities prevented a comeback.
Hapoel Beersheba and Hapoel Petah Tikva played out a 1-1 draw as Igor Zlatanovic scored first for Beersheba, before Jocelin Tabi equalized for Petah Tikva.
Maccabi Bnei Reineh notes first seasonal win
Maccabi Bnei Reineh recorded its first win of the season with a dramatic 2-1 injury-time victory over Hapoel Jerusalem.
Iyad Khalaili opened for Reineh, Matan Hozez equalized in the 90th minute, and Abdallah Jaber secured the winner in the 98th.
Bnei Sakhnin and Ironi Kiryat Shmona played to a 1-1 draw, with Yair Mordechai scoring early for the visitors and Ahmad Salman equalizing in the second half.
Maccabi Netanya and Ashdod SC also drew 2-2 after Ashdod staged a late comeback.
Oz Bilu and Matheus Davo put Netanya ahead 2-0, but Eugene Ansah and Nehorai Dabush salvaged a point for the visitors.
With the December schedule ramping up, Beitar Jerusalem now looks ahead to the high-stakes Jerusalem derby against Hapoel, followed by another home clash with Bnei Sakhnin. After a month of thrilling results across the league, from Shua’s first career hat-trick to dramatic late winners, Israeli soccer fans are set for a busy and exciting month across the local pitches.
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