Hapoel Tel Aviv Coach Blames Red Card for Derby Loss

Hapoel Tel Aviv suffered a painful 4-1 defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the derby on Monday, despite a strong start to the season. The turning point came when midfielder Stav Touriyal received a second yellow card, reducing Hapoel to ten men. Coach Eliniv Barda stated that Touriyal's initial yellow card was unnecessary and critically impacted the team's performance and style of play.

Barda acknowledged that Maccabi scored quickly on their first two chances, but Hapoel was still in the game until the red card. "The first yellow card was unnecessary for him, and we could have skipped it," Barda said, referring to Touriyal's initial caution. He added that after conceding to make it 2-1, he gambled on an attacking strategy by bringing on two strikers, believing that a 3-2 or 4-2 scoreline was equivalent to a 2-1 loss in terms of points.

"We gambled on offense, because we said 3-2 and 4-2 is the same as 2-1," Barda explained. "It could have ended 2-2. This result is very painful, but this is football." He noted that the team struggled to regain possession after scoring and that the late goals allowed Maccabi to dominate the final minutes.

Despite the heavy loss, Barda intends to focus on the positives, including the team's performance in the first half and their ability to play effectively with ten men for a significant period. He reiterated his belief in the attacking gamble, stating he would make the same decision again in pursuit of an equalizer.