Novakovic Scores Brace as Maccabi Haifa Edges Ironi Tiberias 3-2

Maccabi Haifa secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over Ironi Tiberias on Saturday night, marking their third consecutive win in the Israeli Premier League. The Greens came from behind in the second half to complete a significant comeback, solidifying their second-place position in the standings heading into the international break.

Maccabi Haifa initially took the lead in the sixth minute when Pedro Brazão assisted Andrea Novaković, who found the back of the net. However, Ironi Tiberias responded in the 28th minute, with Kais Ghanem equalizing the score at 1-1 after receiving a pass and beating goalkeeper Omri Glazer.

The second half saw Ironi Tiberias take a surprising 2-1 lead in the 57th minute. A penalty was awarded after a handball by Nigel Luvwik, and Ghanem converted it for his second goal of the match. The lead was short-lived, as Maccabi Haifa was awarded a penalty five minutes later due to a foul by Ron Unger on Novaković. Kengi Hura stepped up and calmly converted the penalty to level the score at 2-2.

The decisive goal came in the 69th minute when Bruninho intercepted a pass from the defense and set up Novaković for his second goal of the game, completing the comeback and securing the 3-2 win for Maccabi Haifa. Novaković now has three league goals this season, and goalkeeper Glazer made crucial saves throughout the match.

Despite the loss, Ironi Tiberias can take positives from their performance, having created numerous chances and shown resilience by coming back from behind. They demonstrated character against a top team and were close to earning points.