Full coverage· Sports· Updated 09:49

Maccabi Haifa Secures Hard-Fought Victory, Faces Crucial Test Against Beersheba

Maccabi Haifa beat Maccabi Petah Tikva 2-1 on Saturday with a second-half comeback. It was their third straight comeback win and briefly lifted them to the top of the league.

3 newsrooms · 1 language · since 17 Oct, 21:56

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Maccabi Haifa Secures Hard-Fought Victory, Faces Crucial Test Against Beersheba — Illustration by baba

What happened

01Maccabi Haifa defeated Maccabi Petah Tikva 2-1 away on Saturday, briefly moving to first place in the league.
02Or Inbrom gave Maccabi Petah Tikva an early lead before second-half goals from Eitan Azulay and Noam Steifman completed the comeback.
03The win was Maccabi Haifa’s third consecutive comeback victory, a run coach Barak Bakhar said showed growing mental strength.
04Bakhar acknowledged performance problems, especially conceding early goals, while saying the team still needs improvement.
05New signing Eli Dasa, captain of the Israeli national team, made his debut for Maccabi Haifa.
06Maccabi Petah Tikva coach Ziv Arie blamed defensive errors for his team’s fifth straight loss.
07Maccabi Haifa’s victory ended its preparation phase, with Hapoel Be'er Sheva next on the schedule.

Maccabi Petah Tikva led early through Or Inbrom, and Eitan Azulay scored in the second half for Haifa, together with Noam Steifman’s winning goal. The reports say the match was played away from Haifa, and that the decisive goals came from set pieces.

Coach Barak Bakhar said the team still has problems, but praised its mental strength and ability to recover under pressure. The reports also say new signing Eli Dasa, the captain of the Israeli national team, made his debut, while Steifman credited practice and fan support for his goal.

Maccabi Petah Tikva coach Ziv Arie blamed defensive errors for the defeat and its fifth consecutive loss. The victory closed Haifa’s preparation phase, and the next league challenge mentioned is Hapoel Be'er Sheva.

Summarized by baba from the reports of 3 newsrooms. Updated 10:02

Latest report: Mako. Read Mako’s original