When Maccabi Haifa and Maccabi Tel Aviv meet, the Toto Cup final also feels like a big game. The stadium in Netanya was full, the atmosphere accordingly, a setting that took a minor status and lifted it to another, much higher place. In the background, it was the farewell game of the Haifa captain, Ch. Aron Sherry, before returning to the Netherlands at least until the end of the season.
On the green bench sat the midfielder Lior Kasa.
Until a week ago, most of the Maccabi Tel Aviv fans did not know who he was, but this time, after he chose to play for Maccabi Haifa, the yellow crowd even composed Nazi songs "in his honor". Casa has not yet held a training session or introduction to his new friends, but in the 64th minute already Made a debut. Overall, the atmosphere was good, but the level of play was shocking for the Toto Cup status and less so for the clubs that reached the final. It felt like a side game to go to penalties and it was.
Half situations by Anan Halaili, Dean David in Haifa and Eran Zahavi and Dor Peretz at Maccabi Tel Aviv, but nothing worth a goal or a definite opportunity to conquer. A disappointing 0:0 after 90 minutes and it was lucky that the rules in the Toto Cup transfer the game directly to penalties and there was no need In half an hour of lateral play.
Throughout history, the penalty fights between the two teams went to the yellow side and this time too there was no change.
Bad kicks by Sherry and Fransadi Piero yielded two easy stops for Roi Mesfafi already in the first two penalties.
Eran Zahavi, Eden Kartsev and Usher Davida made an easy 0:3 for Maccabi Tel Aviv, as if starting with an advantage that cannot be missed. Anan Halaili was righteous in Sodom as far as Maccabi Haifa was concerned. Dor Peretz missed, Pierre Corneau made another 2:3, but Derrick Lucassen decided, Maccabi Tel Aviv's Toto Cup after 2:4 in a duel from the penalty spot.
The continuation will come in two weeks in another match between the teams within the league at Sami Ofer.
Naor tries to stop Beaton, photo: Alan Shiver
Saif tries to stop Peretz, photo: Alan Shiver
Rafalov presses Lucassen, photo: Alan Shiver
Dego, this evening, photo: Alan Shiver
Eran Zahavi with an IDF soldier who was injured in the war before the whistle, photo: Alan Shiver
A Maccabi Tel Aviv fan in dedication to the IDF soldiers who fell in the war, photo: Alan Shiver
Haifa fans, tonight in Netanya, photo: Alan Shiver
Zahavi tries his best, photo: Alan Shiver
Casa, the man who fights with the ball, photo: Alan Shiver
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Kanikovski on the way to the Haifa gate, photo: Alan Shiver
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