Summary: Maccabi Haifa - MS.
Ashdod 1:3 (Sport1)
Over two months ago, the Maccabi Haifa players sat in the training complex in Kfar Galim and watched the draw for the group stage of the Champions League.
When the balls started to open, the Haifa players realized that they had a chance to get into one of the more difficult houses that have been in recent years, with the only options left being a house with Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Inter or a house that would include Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica and Juventus.
While in the green crowd the fear was that the zero points zero goals campaign would be restored, in Kfar Galim the feelings were already different.
The players were of course happy for the opportunity to meet the best players in the world, but the one who immediately stood up to his friends and made it clear that he was convinced that there would be a historic campaign was Dolev Haziza.
About an hour after the draw, the midfielder also came to the press conference and stated in Rish Gali: "It will sound funny to you, but in Sami Ofer, any team that comes here, including Paris, will vomit blood to win."
Although the greens did not think about qualifying for the next stage, the goal in the rooms was to register at least one victory and score as many goals as possible.
"We knew it was a house that would be impossible to qualify from," states an official in Haifa.
"But we wanted it to be a campaign that our audience would be proud of."
Believed from the first moment.
Dolev Haziza (Photo: GettyImages, Soccrates Images)
Tonight (Wednesday) Barak Bacher's players will meet Benfica for their last game of the season as part of the Champions League, but the Greens still do not want to end their European dream and dream of third place "Both Paris and Juventus lost points at home against Benfica, if we manage to get a point or three and finish a place Third, this will be the club's greatest achievement," states an official in Haifa and receives reinforcement from one of the senior players.
"If someone had said that we would reach the final round and that there was a very real chance of finishing third, the whole world would have laughed at him. Just remember the reactions of past players like Aguero and the disdain for us and you will understand how much it is possible to do something historic today."
The meaning of qualifying for third place is not only prestige for the Greens, "relegation" to the European League is expected to bring in a lot of money for the club.
About 900,000 euros will go in as a bonus for a point, and an amount 3 times higher if Haifa surprises and wins, and this without talking about the bonus of participating in the knockout stages of the Europa League, the broadcasting rights and of course another game in which the Greens will fill the stadium.
Also, in terms of ranking points, this is significant and the qualification will almost certainly guarantee that Haifa will be ranked in the early rounds of the European factories next season if they do get there.
"We no longer want to settle for once in a decade to record a European achievement," said a senior official at the club.
"We want to start producing a dynasty, and it is possible. If we make history today, it will make the road much easier next season."
More in Walla!
Mickey Berkowitz: "When I look at the identity card I laugh"
In collaboration with Danone Strauss
Will the continuation of the European tour prevent grumbling in the squad? (Photo: Danny Maron)
Another meaning is keeping the faculty on alert.
In Haifa they know that the World Cup break is a kind of miracle for them in such a European season when by November the Greens will have completed 26 official games this season.
For comparison, last season, which also included an appearance in Europe, they played four games less and in the season before that, they played only eight official games in Haifa until this date (without the Toto Cup).
The injuries to Dolev Haziza, Mahmoud Jaber, Daniel Sundgren, Dylan Batubinsica and Souf Podgorano only prove how great the load on the Greens was, but on the other hand, expulsion from Europe today may leave them in the second half of the season with a wide roster of players who are convinced that they should get significant minutes And they won't get what they want, which may lead to resentment.
"There is no doubt that if we finish in third place, many players will want to stay, also to continue the European journey and it will be possible to distribute the forces without faces", a source in the team is convinced.
"If we finish the European tour today, then there is no doubt that we will have to rethink and perhaps release quite a few players for loans in January so as not to create an unnecessary burden that will only hurt us."
We already miss the atmosphere of the Champions League (Photo: Maor Alxalsi)
In Haifa they don't want to conclude the European journey even before tonight's game, but one thing is already clear among the players and that is that the current season has provided them with experiences for a whole career.
"They kept saying that the Champions League is something else," says one of the players.
"But until you're there you don't understand it. The intensity in the games themselves and of course what our crowd did is crazy. No player will not miss it, but we hope not to miss it for too long - to continue in the Europa League, take a championship and next season reach the same status again".
sport
Israeli soccer
Super League
Tags
Maccabi Haifa