Novakovic Scores Brace as Maccabi Haifa Edges Tiberias 3-2

Maccabi Haifa secured their third consecutive victory in the Israeli Premier League, defeating Ironi Tiberias 3-2 in a dramatic match at Sammy Ofer Stadium. The win solidifies Haifa's second-place position in the league standings heading into the international break.

Andrea Novakovic opened the scoring for Maccabi Haifa in the sixth minute, assisted by Pedro Brazão. However, Ironi Tiberias responded in the 28th minute when Kais Ghanem leveled the score at 1-1, which remained the halftime result.

Tiberias mounted a comeback in the second half, taking a 2-1 lead in the 57th minute after Ghanem converted a penalty, awarded for a handball by Nigel Lonwijk. The lead was short-lived, as Maccabi Haifa equalized just five minutes later through a penalty converted by Kenji Goroh, following a foul by Ron Unger on Novakovic.

The decisive goal came in the 69th minute when Novakovic scored his second of the match, completing the comeback for Maccabi Haifa after intercepting a pass from the Tiberias defense. Novakovic now has three goals on the season.

Despite the loss, Ironi Tiberias showed resilience and created several scoring opportunities, even managing to take the lead in the second half. Goalkeeper Omri Glazer also made crucial saves for Maccabi Haifa throughout the game.