Maccabi Tel Aviv Player Itamar Noy Reflects on Goal and Cup Final

Maccabi Tel Aviv secured a decisive 6-2 victory over Hapoel Haifa on Saturday, just before their Toto Cup final derby against Hapoel Tel Aviv. Midfielder Itamar Noy, a former Hapoel Haifa player, scored the final goal but refrained from celebrating excessively out of respect for his previous club. "It's always fun to score, I haven't done it in a long time. I respect the team I came from and have a lot of love for them, so I didn't want to celebrate excessively, but it's always fun to score," Noy stated after the match. He acknowledged the competitive environment at Maccabi Tel Aviv, noting the tough competition and talented players. "Maccabi is never simple and nothing comes easily. There is tough competition and good players. I waited for the opportunity and I'm glad things worked out well. I'm doing my best and always trying, obviously I want to play as much as possible," he added.

Noy emphasized that the team's depth and internal competition push all players to perform at their best. He highlighted the team's overall performance, even in games where they didn't score, and expressed his adaptability to playing multiple positions. "The competition must push everyone to be as good as possible and the fact that we have such depth pushes us. Everyone wants to contribute their part, we are part of a big system. Even when we didn't score, we showed many good things and you can see our progress. There are times when the ball doesn't go in and I don't think we were worried. I managed to adapt to playing in several positions. Whatever they need from me, I will do," he said.

Looking ahead to the Toto Cup final, Noy expressed excitement about the derby match. "There is excitement, it's a final and it's a derby, these are the games we wait for. We want to make our fans happy. We know things will work out, I'm glad it happened today," he concluded.