Israeli Women's League Kicks Off With Dominant Wins and Historic Draw
The 2026-27 season of the Israeli Women's Premier League commenced on Thursday evening with four matches, featuring a historic Tel Aviv derby and several decisive victories. The highly anticipated derby between Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi ASA Tel Aviv, the first in over twenty years, ended in a goalless draw. Both newly reformed clubs showed promise but lacked finishing precision.
Reigning champions Hapoel Katamon Jerusalem began their title defense with a commanding 5-0 win over Maccabi Holon. Early goals from Ella Ben Zvi and Carol Cardozo, followed by strikes from Hili Shalom, Smadar Cohen, and Zhaili, secured a strong start for the champions. The team aims to maintain their top position this season.
In other matches, Maccabi Kishronot Hadera thrashed newly promoted Bnot Netanya 6-0. Maya Cabrera opened the scoring, and Chilean international Fernanda Araya netted a hat-trick. Margaret Belemu added a late goal to complete the rout. Meanwhile, cup holders MS Kiryat Gat secured a narrow 1-0 victory against Hapoel Ra'anana, with Simau Semih scoring a spectacular long-range goal in the first half.
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