Hapoel Be'er Sheva Crushes Maccabi Haifa 5-2 in Dominant Second-Half Performance

Hapoel Be'er Sheva decisively defeated Maccabi Haifa 5-2 in a key match on Monday, ending Haifa's impressive run and surpassing them in the league standings. The victory came after Be'er Sheva suffered a significant loss in the Europa League, but the team rallied to deliver a strong performance against the reigning champions.

The first half of the match at Sammy Ofer Stadium was largely uneventful, with both teams struggling to create clear scoring opportunities. Be'er Sheva's makeshift midfield faced challenges against Maccabi Haifa's control in the center of the park, but Haifa failed to capitalize on their advantage.

The game dramatically shifted in the second half. Hapoel Be'er Sheva took the lead in the 50th minute from a corner kick. Four minutes later, Djibril Diop doubled the advantage after capitalizing on defensive confusion. The situation worsened for Maccabi Haifa when young defender Shitfman conceded a penalty and received a red card, which Zlatanovic converted to make it 3-0.

Despite being a man down, Maccabi Haifa had a chance to get back into the game when Marciano saved a penalty from Bruninho. However, the hosts managed to pull one back in the 77th minute through substitute Adam Greenberg. Be'er Sheva quickly responded, scoring two more goals within three minutes, including an own goal by Greenberg, to extend their lead to 5-1. Greenberg scored his second goal of the match in added time, setting the final score at 5-2.

Hapoel Be'er Sheva will carry this momentum into their next match against Maccabi Petah Tikva, while Maccabi Haifa, under coach Barak Bakhar, will need to regroup and prepare for their upcoming game against Hapoel Tel Aviv.