Hapoel Tel Aviv Coach Benched Star Player Due to Dissatisfaction

Hapoel Tel Aviv secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Ironi Tiberias on Saturday, with Omri Altman scoring the winning penalty. The win came despite playing with ten men from the fourth minute after Adrian Criev was sent off. Club officials expressed pride in the team's performance, stating they were superior to Tiberias even with a numerical disadvantage.

Despite some complaints about officiating, the club reportedly understood the referee's decision to send off Criev. The team is also looking ahead to the next match, where Criev's absence will alleviate some of coach Eliniv Barda's selection dilemmas regarding foreign players. However, a controversial decision by VAR official Eitan Shmuelovitz, overturning a penalty awarded by referee Omer Biran, drew criticism from within the club, though they refrained from public complaints due to the win.

Player Koko was adamant that he was fouled by Ido Sharon, justifying the penalty that was ultimately awarded. Lucas Falcao accepted his omission from the squad, understanding the team's depth. Meanwhile, Emmanuel Boateng is a doubt for the next game against Hapoel Jerusalem after suffering a severe facial injury, seen with a swollen eye at the end of the match.

Notably, the player was not in the starting lineup for the second consecutive game, despite being fit and in the squad. While his absence last week was due to an injury that affected his training, this week's decision was a professional one by Barda, stemming from dissatisfaction with the player's performance as a substitute the previous week. However, the player showed significant improvement in the recent match, potentially earning him a return to the starting eleven.