Great restraint at Maccabi Tel Aviv last night (Monday) after the 1: 4 over Beitar Jerusalem. After such a long chase and a real first ascent to the top of the table, even one rejoicing, one shout of “yes” was not heard with the whistle to end the game. The message that was apparently decided on the yellow side to convey is that “nothing happened.” The club said: “It is a victory with a beautiful result, but it is just another victory as part of the way we are going. Everyone here knows that without a win over Kiryat Shmona, and without a win in a derby, everything we have done may not be enough to finish the regular season in first place and that is essential. Maybe we weren’t in the clouds either because in the end we had a bad first half at all and we have to tell the truth. ”
It was another game in which Maccabi Tel Aviv played without their top scorer this season, Yonatan Cohen, and without his deputy, Alexander Peshich, and despite that and that bad first half, it was the Yellows’ most clinical performance in front of goal after many games in which they managed to get into situations. Low results. “To do a very significant part in our run without Yonatan Cohen, it is not obvious, for example. Anyone hear talk of that? We have a plague of injuries and absences as in any team, we played again without Dan Glazer, but we continue to prove that there is a team here first. “
Whoever entered Glazer’s box was the captain Sharan Yeni Who recorded an excellent game and was crowned by the crowd at home as the outstanding player. “I am 34 years old, this is the first time they have chosen me as the best player in the game. This is very exciting for me. I’m going to save the shirt and sign the guys tomorrow. The guys laughed at me what I can do with NIS 1,000 coupons for the factory, I’m the worst dresser at Maccabi Tel Aviv anyway, so we’ll see what happens. By the way, Betar Jerusalem was the last game of Georgios Donis in the previous round with 0: 0 anesthesia in Teddy. Last night Patrick Van Leven closed 37 out of 39 possible.
“Even in our less good times, even when we lose points, there is an amazing team here. A group of players who play a lot of time together and know what to expect from each other both in terms of character and professionally. “The coach is so good that he makes us do everything according to how he wants and we are a team that responds well to coaches who are dominant, we play according to how he wants us to play and there are good results,” added Yeni in this context. “We play for the fans, we are performers, it is very exciting that the audience is coming back, the fans will come very hungry and even if there are few of them they will come to give a performance.”
Itay shechter Who scored a great goal from the game man’s cook added: “A super important victory and to tell the truth, we started not so well and our first half is not good enough, but we knew how to score a goal and I am happy to score after a while. We lifted ourselves in the second half and looked much better, happy, but need to move on. The unequivocal fact that the club is above all is the reason I am in Maccabi Tel Aviv even when there are less good times. I knew we had to stay positive in the end because success in the end affects everyone. If I do not play and win, when I play and the team wins then I am part of that success. I’m happy, we had a difficult and not easy week. We returned from Shakhtar after a flight at night and played three difficult games, we did what needs to be done, but we do not have too much time and continue to the next game. ”
After the game, the fans received the players in Kiryat Shalom and supported them, Maccabi Tel Aviv asked not to enter the atmosphere of celebrations, but did begin to get excited that the crowd would return. Regarding the low number allowed in the stadiums, the club said: “This is a joke. There is no reason not to approve a larger income, but the picture of victory the prime minister will get. Will be able to say that the audience returned. We also have no doubt that in the team’s games there will be much more than 1,500 “.
Also, Maccabi Tel Aviv confirmed after the game the publication on ONE according to which Yonatan Cohen intends to return in the cup game against Hapoel Haifa in six days: “We want him to play there and come to this game healthy and if not, then for a derby for sure.” In the game against Kiryat Shmona, striker Tal Ben Haim will be absent, who will be sent off due to the accumulation of yellow cards. Regarding contract renewals, Maccabi Tel Aviv estimates that if the season ends with a title, the tendency will be to keep everyone who ends a contract, even if they are older players. At the same time and as Mitch Goldhaar has shown in recent seasons, he has no problem waiting until the end of the league and even more so, to close contracts for players even if they are free to do as they please, knowing that everyone at Maccabi Tel Aviv will prefer to stay at the club.