The cup game last night (Saturday) against Hapoel Umm al-Fahm, came for Maccabi Haifa at a bad time. Four players were sent off in court, with one of them not due to play at all due to the accumulation of yellow cards (Dolev Haziza) and the fact that two of the team’s stars, Charon Cherry and Nikita Rokavica, turned out to be positive for Corona.
Maccabi Haifa was far from a record against the team from the national team and Levan Kotlia’s equalizer caused a lot of pressure on the Greens, mainly due to the fact that Barak Bachar looked at the bench and saw mostly youth players. The offensive striker Goodsway Donio continues in his formidable form and has scored a third game in a row. The club have expressed confidence in Donio even in the less good times and now they are enjoying his performance on the pitch.
Left-back Taleb Twataha had a part in the equalizer, as did Rami Gershon, who started in the lineup after about seven months. Barak Bachar defended Twataha when he said he came up to play injured and he appreciates him for that. In the absence of Dolev Haziza and Charon Sheri, the game was on the shoulders of a noble Omar who is not yet at his peak of fitness. “We brought Noble as a purchase for the coming seasons, we have patience,” the club said.
Maccabi Haifa were not afraid to say at the end that the deductions were felt: “The lack of Haziza and Shari was felt, but we managed to get enough opportunities to decide the game before the end minutes.” The Greens smiled after the narrow victory: “After this week it was important to win, the preparation was not ideal. Now we have to concentrate on the league.” Nahorai Yifrach (17)’s youth team contact made his Maccabi Haifa senior debut. Maor Levy made his debut in the starting lineup.
After a tight schedule, Maccabi Haifa has a week to prepare for the game against Urbani Kash on Saturday, with two games within range of the opponent. Bogdan Planic, who was sent off by the court, will return to the squad. Nikita Rokavica and Charon Sheri are expected to end their isolation period near the game, but at the moment the chances of taking part in the game are not high. In addition, Rokavica has not yet recovered from a groin injury.
