Summary: Maccabi Haifa - Hapoel Haifa 1:4 (Sport1)
1. Immediately after Maccabi Haifa scored the third goal, coach Barak Becher approached the ball carrier next to him and gave him a hug and a kiss.
The same ball-bringer was the coach's son, Liam Bacher, who celebrated his 11th birthday yesterday (Monday). The coach said at the end that before the game, his son mentioned that the last three times Haifa lost on his birthday, and even added: "Dir Balak that this time it will happen."
Bachar claimed that he could not disappoint his son again and felt that he would leave the evening with a victory, and indeed - it was so.
Yesterday's victory of the Greens was full of stories, as befits such an impressive victory in the midst of a crisis for the champion.
Omar Atzili, Bachar, Dia Saba and the opponent were part of the champion's big evening, but despite this, the club is convinced that it is still impossible to congratulate an exit from the crisis.
"We need to show stability and then we can say that the bad period is behind us," said a player in the team.
"There is no doubt that this was our best game since we returned from the World Cup break, including the game against Hapoel Haifa in the State Cup. Now we will have to continue like this and then it will be difficult to stop us."
Throughout the week, Bacher talked to his players that the thing that would win them the game would be to play together, aggressively and enthusiastically.
The club defined the start of the game as an explosion of the entire last period.
"The first minutes were exactly what Barak saw when he decided on the lineup," said a member of the team.
"We wanted to play exactly like that, with pressure and enthusiasm and coordination between all the stars."
The point of coordination between the stars took perhaps the most pressure off the team.
Ever since Dia Saba joined the club, the question has been floating about whether Haifa's biggest stars can play together.
Yesterday Bacher did put everyone together and they gave him back with coordination and ability that reminded him of the beginning of the season.
"When you have stars of the magnitude of Saba, Azili, Dolev Haziza and Charon Sherry, then it is clear that if they are coordinated you are unstoppable," stated one of the players in the team.
"It's fun to have players like that with you, and yesterday even those who didn't go well worked hard and didn't give up at any moment - that was the key to victory."
Finally a victory on his son's birthday.
Bachar (Photo: Maor Alxalsi)
More about the Haifa derby
Atzili repeated to himself: "Zahavi will be top scorer, we will win the championship"
Roni Levy: "Dreams of a top playoff? It's too big"
Top playoff schedule: Maccabi Haifa vs. Maccabi Tel Aviv in the middle of the week
More in Walla!
Pietro celebrates a round birthday and you enjoy a once-in-60-years sale
In collaboration with Pitro
2. Two difficult months passed for Omar Azili.
The one who was the undisputed star of the last two years in green began to receive criticism about his ability and his long drought.
If criticism from the outside was not enough, Atzili saw himself relegated to the bench in three of the four games leading up to last night's derby.
Those around the player testified that he felt frustrated both by his ability but mainly by the fact that he was the one who supposedly paid the price for the team's bad period.
At the end of the match against Netanya, Becher stated that Atzili should be hugged and that he and the system would wrap him up to instill confidence in him.
During the last week in Haifa, they worked with the player and Bacher even said after the game that in one of the training sessions Atzili was not successful in almost any action he did and was frustrated at the end, but the team talked to him, made it clear to him that they are building on him and believe in him.
Last night the star returned on the field with one of his best games in the green uniform when he scored a hat trick and added an assist.
"Omer is the best player in Israel," said one of his friends in the dressing room.
"
Atzili actually compared his record to that of Eran Zahavi in the top scorer table (15) and also came close to a double double when one more assist will put him on ten assists.
The star who last year tried to achieve the record of Yossi Banyon and Haim Rabivo who stands for direct involvement in 35 goals stopped at 30. Now he has 24 of them, with 11 games until the end of the season.
"It was clear to everyone that we need Omar in top form," said a member of the team.
"It was important for the team that he get confidence and get involved."
"Even when he's not well, you know he can conquer or cook in an instant."
Atzili (Photo: Maor Alxalsi)
All the stars aligned.
Sherry (Photo: Maor Alxalsi)
3. Not only Atzili received criticism recently, Bachar himself also saw and heard criticism that he is not used to receiving with such frequency and intensity.
Those around him know for sure that he heard the words, and arrived last night hungrier and more ready than ever.
"Whoever saw Barak before the game knew that we were going to win," said a member of the team.
At the end, Becher received great compliments and the club's management are very satisfied with the performance of the coach and hope that he will remain with the team for many more years.
Labacher has a contract for another season, but at the end of the season in Haifa they know that there may be a demand for the coach overseas, and they will try to keep him and even open and extend his contract.
"Barak is the best coach in Israel, period," said an official in Haifa.
"When you have a coach like that, even in times of crisis you are calm."
The team is concerned about the injury of Shawn Goldberg who suffered a strong blow below the knee.
Goldberg lost at the end, but in Haifa they hope that there is no damage and it is only a strong blow.
The brakeman will undergo tests today in order to find out the severity of the injury.
sport
Israeli soccer
Super League
Tags
Maccabi Haifa
Omar Azili
Barak Bacher
