Maccabi Haifa Rises to Second Place After Dominant Win

Maccabi Haifa secured a decisive 4-0 victory over Ironi Kiryat-Shmona on Monday, propelling them to second place in the Israeli Premier League standings, just three points behind league leaders Maccabi Tel Aviv. The win marks their second consecutive victory and third in the last four matches, signaling a significant turnaround for the team.

The team's performance was highlighted by the strong showing of new recruit Pedro Brazão, who scored a goal in the 56th minute and provided an assist for Eitan Azulai in the 40th minute. Approximately 6,000 fans at the Netanya Stadium witnessed Brazão's impressive debut, which has injected hope into the club. Other players receiving praise included Nigel Lonwijk, who contributed two assists, and Tsunami, who scored the final goal in the 86th minute.

This recent success has eased pressure on team manager Lior Raphaëlov, who had faced criticism earlier in the season regarding squad building. A club source commented, "They wrote us off too early. Before the season even started, some didn't count us. Lior brought in quality foreign players who are proving to be stars. Bruninho is simply amazing, Brazão proved yesterday he is a very quality player, Nigel and Tsunami silenced the critics, and there is no doubt Lior is on the right track."

Head coach Barak Bakhar acknowledged the team's progress, stating, "It's important to win, it's important to gain confidence. A month and a half ago, we lost 3-0 here to Kiryat Shmona, and it looked terrible. Since then, we've made some progress, and the new players are slowly integrating." He also noted areas for improvement, such as ball movement, patience, and decision-making, but expressed optimism about Brazão's impact. "We saw Pedro Brazão, who added quality that we were missing. He added a lot, but others will also need to give more." Bakhar indicated the club is exploring potential reinforcements but will proceed with the current squad if necessary.

Looking ahead, Bakhar emphasized the importance of momentum in football. "The goal is to accumulate as many wins as possible, even at the expense of performance, to bring back the madness and what characterized us in the good old days." Maccabi Haifa's next match is against Ironi Tiberias on Saturday at Sami Ofer Stadium.