Maccabi Tel Aviv Dominates Hapoel Tel Aviv in Super Cup Final

Maccabi Tel Aviv decisively defeated Hapoel Tel Aviv 101-83 in the Social Super Cup on Thursday, securing the first title of the 2026/27 season. Maccabi's star-studded lineup overwhelmed Hapoel, with Elijah Bryant absent for Hapoel due to a hospital infusion, while Vasilije Micic, returning from illness, led Hapoel with 17 points. Micic was later ejected after confronting officials, expressing frustration over perceived disrespect, though the team's owners sought to calm him post-game.

Hapoel Tel Aviv is looking ahead, aiming to rebound with wins in upcoming EuroLeague games to overshadow the derby loss. "We will win the upcoming EuroLeague games and what happened here will be forgotten," a club source stated. "We will work hard and return strong to the local league, there is a good squad here that needs to connect."

Further bolstering Hapoel's roster, Jacob Toppin is expected to receive Israeli citizenship in about a month, and Tomer Ginat, sidelined by injury, is projected to return in approximately four weeks. Meanwhile, Maccabi coach Oded Kattash expressed strong dissatisfaction with his players' performance, emphasizing the manner of defeat. "There is a loss and there is a loss. There is a way to lose," Kattash told his team. "You didn't give everything and it showed. We cannot win in any competition like this."

Hapoel's captain, Bar Timor, acknowledged the stinging defeat as a wake-up call, stating, "We want to learn. This slap will wake us up. We got a punch. We will fight, because there is no other movie. This loss will not bring us down."

Approximately 3,000 Hapoel fans supported the team, including the now-disbanded "Red South" fan organization for a final time. The team is set to fly to Sofia, Bulgaria, for their EuroLeague opener against Bayern Munich. This decision has drawn criticism, as foreign players are housed in Sofia apartments, not Israel, with club officials working to bring operations back to Israel, though the coaching staff currently prefers Bulgaria.