Maccabi Haifa Continues Winning Streak, Climbs to Second Place

Maccabi Haifa secured its fourth consecutive victory, defeating Hapoel Jerusalem 4-1 at Teddy Stadium on Monday. The team, which overcame an early deficit, has now climbed to second place in the league standings, just one point behind leader Maccabi Tel Aviv. Coach Barak Bakhar's squad benefited from a strong performance by Bruninho, who provided three assists, and a spectacular goal from Razzaq. Guy Melamed, Kangi Chura, and Andrija Novakovich also contributed to the scoring.

Club officials expressed satisfaction with the team's start to the season, noting "a great start to the season by all accounts" with "four wins out of five games." They acknowledged the importance of the win on a difficult field and praised the squad built by Lior Refaelov and Barak Bakhar, particularly the foreign signings. While the team is "connecting," they cautioned that "it is still too early to make declarations," but the victories are building confidence.

Melamed, despite a reduced role, proved his value by scoring shortly after coming off the bench. The club also believes that new signing Eli Dasa, the 33-year-old captain of the Israeli national team, will not only contribute professionally but also improve the locker room atmosphere. Dasa returns to the Israeli league after seven seasons in Russia and the Netherlands.

Coach Bakhar commented on the team's progress, stating, "It's starting to look better, but there is much to improve. Our goal? To play more fluid football. We are on an upward trend, heading in the right direction, and there is improvement in many parameters."