Last night (Tuesday) Maccabi Haifa registered one of its biggest victories in the European framework with a 0:2 home win over the Italian Juventus.
Now, when the first points have arrived in the group stage of the Champions League, Barak Becher's players have aroused quite a bit of interest in the Italian media as well, including questions about a number of them, and whether the Greens are just a stop on the way to a bigger club abroad.
One of them is the midfielder Ali Mohamed who has been compared to the French midfielder Ankolo Kante.
When asked about it, he acknowledged the comparison and said: "Everyone dreams of playing in such positions and it's amazing for me to be here. I won't say about myself if this is the real level I should play at, I give my best and the rest analyze. My dream is to play in the league big but right now I just want to work hard" about neutralizing players from the top in Italy he said: "Against such players you have to come prepared, but the truth is that I felt comfortable in the middle against Juventus."
Charon Sherry, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Muhammad added: "I am very happy and proud of all the players. Everyone gave everything. This victory is amazing, Juventus is a big team and a big club, but we believed in ourselves that it could be done and we did everything to make it happen."
About the first points of the Greens and the fact that there will not be another campaign without points and goals, the Nigerian said: "Getting points was important after the last time the team failed to do it, and we wanted to do it this time. Third place? Of course it's possible, everything is possible in football, Once you stick to your plan and you believe, then the results are possible and they will come."
Omar Atzili, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
As I remember, Haifa came after an embarrassing loss to Bnei Rayna and Muhammad tried to explain the situation: "We have to make these changes from the league to Europe and it's important to make the switch. We didn't think about the loss to Rayna because we knew that if we thought about it, it would affect us a lot and we made a big switch."
Goalkeeper Josh Cohen said: "I feel great, certainly after my first victory, ours, in the Champions League this season."
On a possible call-up to the US team, which will play in the World Cup in Qatar: "I don't know, I think it's a little late for that to happen, but we'll see what happens.
I'm not focused on that right now."
He said about his saves, including a shot that went into the net: "There were a lot of dangerous crosses and for me it was important to stay focused and make the right movement to stop the ball. He wasn't strong and I was balanced enough to reach him and make the offer."
Josh Cohen.
Excellent ability, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Cohen was happy about getting the first points in the Champions League and admitted: "Points feel much better than compliments."
Cohen also added: "Is this the seal that we belong to the Champions League? I think so. It's at home with the great atmosphere it was, we enjoy it very much."
Before the league game against Hadera and the transition between frames: "This season you have to be ready for both, mentally it's very difficult."
Ham, when he played with Dekel Keenan in the USA in the past, believed that he would beat Juventus in the future: "I didn't even believe that I would have the opportunity to play against them.
It's a dream come true."
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