Maccabi Tel Aviv Dominates Haifa 6-2, Eyes Toto Cup Final Derby

Maccabi Tel Aviv bounced back from two consecutive goalless draws with a resounding 6-2 victory over Hapoel Haifa on Tuesday. Coach Kenny Miller's key lineup decisions paid off, notably starting Elad Madmon over Esther Sokler and keeping Sagiv Yehezkel in the lineup instead of Osher Davida. Both Madmon and Yehezkel contributed a goal and an assist each in the dominant performance.

Madmon, making his first start of the season, capitalized on the opportunity, scoring a goal and providing an assist. He attributed the team's success to improved finishing, stating, "We created scoring chances and this time we utilized them. Our game plan was the same. The fact is, in the last two games we created many chances and could have scored at least two certain goals in each game." Madmon expressed gratitude for his playing time and confidence in the coach's belief in him.

Yehezkel also delivered a goal and an assist, validating Miller's decision to keep him in the starting eleven. Despite the high score, Miller expressed dissatisfaction with certain aspects of the team's play, particularly moments of sloppiness when holding a significant lead. "There were many things that pleased me in our performance, but there were also things I was not happy with. I felt we were too careless at times," Miller stated, adding that the team gave Hapoel Haifa hope when they shouldn't have.

Looking ahead, Maccabi Tel Aviv will now prepare for the Toto Cup final against Hapoel Tel Aviv on Thursday. The team is drawing confidence from their recent dominant win, with club officials recalling their previous derby victory where they scored four goals, expressing certainty in another win for the title. "They already received four from us, there is no reason why we won't win again, especially in a battle for the title against them," a club representative said.