On a day filled with national emotion following the release of three hostages, Hapoel Beersheba defeated Hapoel Jerusalem 2-0 on Sunday night to maintain its position at the top of the Israel Premier League table.
The joyous news of the hostages’ safe return loomed large over the evening, even as critical matches took place across the country.
“It’s a very, very emotional day; we’re all happy for the three hostages who came back home and hope everyone returns safely. That’s above all else,” Beersheba coach Ron Kozuk said. “Heading into the game was not easy as all the players and staff were on their phones and wanted to see what was going on with the three women who were going to be released, just like everyone else. But as soon as we got here to the stadium, we disconnected. We knew we had an important and difficult game ahead of us, and I’m proud of them for their concentration in order to take the win.”
On the pitch, Kings Kangwa scored off a Dan Biton cross in the first half, while Eliel Peretz put the game away in the second half.
Hapoel Jerusalem coach Ziv Arie reflected on the match and the emotional day.
“This was a tough loss, but much bigger things happened in this country with the release of some of the hostages. I’m happy for them. I hope this phase ends peacefully and they bring everyone back very soon. But with all the joy, there will still be some difficult moments coming up.”
Maccabi Tel Aviv’s win
Elsewhere, Maccabi Tel Aviv pounded Maccabi Netanya 4-1, with Dor Turgeman’s first-half brace setting the stage for the yellow-and-blue’s dominant win.
Turgeman’s first goal came from a 20th-minute penalty after being pulled down in the box, while Weslley Patati slotted home another spot kick 15 minutes later after a handball in the area. Turgeman completed his brace in the 36th minute, but Netanya’s Daniel Dapaah pulled a goal back before Eran Zahavi polished off the win in the 83rd minute with a nice give-and-go with Dor Peretz.
“I am satisfied with the game, and it is a good victory for us,” Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Zarko Lazetic said. “I didn’t like the second half as much; we lost concentration and conceded. We need to improve on that. Nothing has changed from our previous games, only that we scored goals at the right time. There were problems in the previous two games, but we were more concentrated today. I am angry that we conceded in this game.”
Netanya coach Yossi Abukasis was disappointed.
“It was hard and frustrating to watch the loss. I think we came into this game very short, with a lack of players, especially in midfield where we lost the game because of our turnovers. We continued to fight in the second half, and the players didn’t give up.”
Maccabi Haifa and Bnei Sakhnin played to a 1-1 draw at the Acre Stadium, splitting the points.
Omer Dahan found the back of the goal for Haifa in the 33rd minute, but Abdalla Halaihal equalized 25 minutes later.
“We were leading the game, and we should have known how to stay in front,” Haifa coach Barak Bachar said. “We conceded a silly goal, and every time we gain momentum, we just find a way to stop playing properly. We had the result in our hands, and there are no excuses. The field here is terrible, but we prepared accordingly and knew that it should be enough.”
Sakhnin assistant coach Salach Hasarma was pleased with his side’s performance.
“I’m happy with how we looked and how we played. We made it very difficult for Maccabi Haifa, who are an excellent team. We were very committed, and for that, I have to praise the guys. They played an excellent game, and I’m happy about that.”
Beitar Jerusalem blanked 10-man Ironi Kiryat Shmona 3-0 as the capital city squad took the three points at Netanya Stadium.
Sekou Bangoura was handed a red card for a reckless tackle in the 15th minute, leaving the hosts a man down for the balance of the match. Less than five minutes later, Omer Atzily headed home the opening goal, while Yarden Shua doubled the advantage via a penalty in the 50th minute. Adi Yona then polished off the victory in the 80th minute.
“The game was one-sided, and we controlled it from beginning to end,” Beitar coach Barak Itzhaki said. “We had a lot of chances and scored three goals. In fact, we could have scored more. In the past, when we had an extra player, we had a tough time, but that wasn’t the case in this game. We controlled and moved the ball patiently from side to side. It was very important for us that we didn’t concede in this game.”
Kiryat Shmona coach Shay Barda expressed frustration.
“We worked very hard to get the club onto a new path. Then what happens? We get a red card. It’s very hard when we are donating a weekly gift to the opposition. We need to know how to fix this, and it’s my responsibility.”
Finally, Maccabi Petah Tikva downed Maccabi Bnei Reineh 2-1, with Vitalie Damascan scoring a brace.
Reineh’s Sambinha opened the scoring in the 27th minute but was later sent off for pulling down a Petah Tikva player from behind, leaving his side with 10 men. Damascan equalized in the 38th minute and scored the winner 20 minutes later.
“There’s nothing sweeter than a victory,” Petah Tikva coach Tamir Luzon said. “Even though we were down 1-0, Reineh didn’t create too many chances, and we were prepared for their long balls. At 1-1, we felt we were better, especially after they got a red card. We deserved this victory. As for Damascan, he’s a player every coach dreams of. Besides the goals, he also works non-stop. This isn’t just his victory, but the entire team’s.”
Reineh coach Sharon Mimer rued his team’s errors, saying, “The game was pretty even at first. We started off just fine and scored. Unfortunately, after the goal, one mistake of ours brought them back into the game – losing the ball unnecessarily, getting a red card, and a goal straight after that. The game turned on us after the red card and the goal. It gave them confidence.”
This article was originally published at www.jpost.com
