Maccabi Haifa wants to rewrite history this season.
After the fighting in the south ended, the Greens arrived at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia for the return match against Apollon Limassol on the way to the playoff stage of the Champions League (0:4 in the first match).
Exactly 20 years ago, the security situation in Israel did not allow the Greens to play in the country - and they moved the Champions League matches to exactly the place where they want to start the journey again.
True, Manchester United or Leverkusen won't come up here tonight, not even Olympiakos, since the champions already knocked them out of the factory last week.
Liav Nachmani
Just before the final training session, the stars of that team, perhaps the greatest in the history of the club, Giovanni Rosso and Rafi Cohen, took to the grass at the stadium in Nicosia.
The latter scored an unforgettable goal at Old Trafford against Manchester United (5:2) while Russo scored an unforgettable goal in the promotion match to the factory in Graz.
These two got on the grass together and it was obvious that they were excited.
Russo hugged midfielder Charon Sherry and whispered something in his ear.
Rousseau.
Scored an unforgettable goal, photo: Alan Shiver
"He is made of the stuff of champions," Russo said after the hug and admitted: "Really? I'm very excited. I returned to the place where I experienced football in the strongest way possible. We had amazing experiences here, things you can't forget."
Rousseau and Cohen didn't just come.
The club filmed a special article with them and returned with them to those moments, hoping that the current team will repeat the achievement and reach the group stage of the Champions League.
To the question of whether it is possible for Haifa to return to the top team on the continent, Rafi Cohen said: "This year there is a strong team. The combination here reminds us of the great team we had in 2002. There is a tremendous combination of quality foreigners, even then we had match-breaking foreigners like Rousseau, Nenad Pralia, Igbini Yakubu and Raimondas Xotautas. This year there are excellent foreigners and the combination with good Israelis, and a coach like Barak Becher makes the difference."
Rafi Cohen celebrates, photo: AP
"Haziza is little Giovanni"
Rosso speaks from a place of one who knows, who on the one hand was in these positions, but is also in the club today, talking to the players and feeling the dressing room.
He passes between them before practice and listens, sees them laughing and bickering with laughter.
Barak Becher arrives and remembers the days when Russo would have done the same thing with Yakubu or Walid Badir.
"The chemistry between the players is great, without that there is no football team" he explains, "there is a passion to get to the Champions League and that is something important. I like that there is a good atmosphere, laughter, the players are friends."
When asked who he marks as his replacement as the funniest man in the group, he immediately clarifies: "Doleb Haziza is little Giovanni. He may not be me, but he's also a bit of a good crazy. I love him."
firecracker
Little Giovanni, photo: Alan Shiver
Tonight, Maccabi Haifa will go up to the second leg with a leg and a half in the playoff stage against Red Star Belgrade.
The Greens no longer need to travel to Nicosia to host home games, certainly when they have a fortress like Sami Ofer.
But no matter how you turn it, in football there is a feeling that only mountain and mountain never meet.
In this case it is the GSP stadium.
Barak Becher was a player at the time, and yesterday he admitted that he was also "a bit of a fan" at that time.
This season there is an opportunity to repeat the historical promotion and be the first team to reach the group stages of the best league in the world three times.
In the end, Rousseau and Cohen are unanimous: "It is possible."
Rousseau vs. Garce.
Photo: AP
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