"עשו לנו, השחקנים, עוול בפרשת העירויים"

Maccabi Petah Tikva secured a crucial 2-1 victory over Hapoel Ramat Gan in Rehovot on Saturday, potentially ending a five-game losing streak in the Premier League. Coach Ziv Arieh expressed relief, stating, "We'll take every win we can. We started well, and the first half was very comfortable. We were too anxious with the ball because we wanted to win so badly. We didn't play as we wanted in the second half, but after five losses, some of them bizarre, we'll take the win and won't complain."

Arieh also addressed defensive issues, noting, "There are goals we concede due to individual errors and set pieces. It's a problem, but we need to work on it." He defended his decision to give goalkeeper Dor Hebron a chance, saying, "They told me I was crazy when I brought him in because he hadn't played in the Premier League. Honestly, there aren't many Israeli goalkeepers, but Maccabi Petah Tikva has two good ones. Dor has great karma. I'm happy for him, and I'm sure both Maor Erlich and Dor Hebron will grow into great goalkeepers in our football." Looking ahead to the next match against Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Arieh acknowledged the budget and squad differences but vowed to do everything possible to earn points.

Newcomer Guy Hadida, making his debut for Petah Tikva, shared his excitement: "It's the most fun to play. I really missed it. I came only to help Maccabi Petah Tikva. I went through a difficult period that's hard to explain. I learned a lot about myself during that time, and it's behind me now. I'm happy. There's a talented team here with a lot of quality. This is the place that wanted me the most. I hope to lead the team forward."

Hadida also commented on his past suspension, stating, "I learned that in the end, it's just football, and family stays with you. I've been on the fields since I was 10, and suddenly they took me away. I didn't understand why. Only as time passed did they explain to us in depth what happened. They wronged our players, that's clear. During the incident, we didn't think we did anything wrong. I won't receive an infusion again."

Hapoel Ramat Gan coach Massai Dago lamented his team's first-half performance, saying, "In the end, we can't look like we did in the first half. We responded well in the second half; we shouldn't have fallen apart. We regained some of our dignity and could have even equalized, but it's a tough loss." He explained that double substitutions during warm-ups were due to muscle pain for players David Asenka and Jota, causing chaos in the locker room, but stressed it didn't justify their performance.

Amit Reif added, "We didn't show up in the first half. We need to learn and understand why. In the second half, after Dago motivated us, we managed to improve our performance. It wasn't enough. I hope next time it won't look like this."