Maccabi Haifa Coach Blasts Team After Humiliating 5-2 Loss
Translated & summarized from Mako by baba
Maccabi Haifa coach Barak Bakhar called his team "disintegrated" after a 5-2 home loss to Hapoel Be'er Sheva. The team collapsed in the second half, conceding three goals and a red card within seven minutes. Bakhar criticized the defense, which has struggled all season, and warned that improvement is needed to compete for the league title. Young defender Noam Steifman received a red card and acknowledged the team is paying a "heavy tuition fee" for its mistakes.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Maccabi Haifa coach Barak Bakhar called his team "disintegrated" after a 5-2 loss to Hapoel Be'er Sheva.
- The team collapsed in the second half, conceding three goals and a red card in seven minutes.
- Bakhar criticized the defense, which has conceded 14 goals in eight league games.
- Young defender Noam Steifman received his first red card in the Israeli Premier League.
- Bakhar warned that the team must improve defensively to contend for the league title.
Maccabi Haifa coach Barak Bakhar described his team as "disintegrated" following their shocking 5-2 home defeat to Hapoel Be'er Sheva on Monday, a loss that saw them concede five goals at Sammy Ofer Stadium for the first time since a derby match. While Maccabi Haifa appeared more dangerous than the reigning champions in the first half, the team collapsed in the second. Within seven minutes, Bakhar's squad conceded three goals and had a player sent off, making a comeback impossible after a string of three consecutive wins.
In an unusual post-match assembly, Bakhar told his players, "We fell apart in three minutes, this must not happen. We need to pick ourselves up and fix many things." The team's defensive frailties were highlighted, having kept only one clean sheet this season and conceding 14 goals in eight games, an average of nearly two per match. This defensive record is significantly worse than that of Hapoel Tel Aviv.
Bakhar stressed the need for defensive improvement, stating, "We looked embarrassing in the second half. The defenders are not connected and are not getting help. If we don't improve, we can forget about competing for the top of the league." Young defender Noam Steifman, who received his first red card in the league, acknowledged the steep learning curve, with Bakhar adding that Steifman needs to mature in his decision-making.
Several players were noted to be underperforming, including Bruninho, who missed a penalty, Eitan Azulay, Kangi Hoora, and Andrija Novakovich.
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