Maccabi Haifa entered Matchday 4 of the Israeli Premier League back at Sammy Ofer after a disappointing loss away to Hapoel Acre in Matchday 3. Guy Luzon’s side entered this match having taking three points from three league matches, their lone win coming against Hapoel Be’er Sheva.
The first opportunity of the match for the Greens came in the 7th minute. Mabouka broke down the right flank and crossed the ball to Rukavytsya, but he wasn’t able to take control of the ball, and Assaf Tzur, the visiting side’s goalkeeper, won the ball.
After a relatively low key opening 25 minutes, the Greens got themselves on the score sheet. After winning a corner kick, Ben Harush connected with the ensuring cross from Azulay, heading the ball into the back of the net and giving Maccabi Haifa the 1:0 lead at Sammy Ofer. As Maccabi Haifa began to find their rhythm, Sallallich found himself with the ball and only Tzur to beat. The midfielder beat Ra’anana’s goalkeeper and put the Greens up 2:0 only 34 minutes into the match, capturing his second goal for the club.
Maccabi Haifa came out of the break pressing, and only two minutes into the second half, they found their third goal of the match. Azulay had a shot towards goal and Kostadinov finished the play, putting the ball in the back of the net. Azulay now has three assists since returning to Maccabi Haifa.
In the 62nd minute, Luzon used his first change with Ofir Mizrachi coming on the pitch and replacing the Greek striker, Klaus. The next change came in the 71st minute, when Roei Kehat replaced one of the night’s goal scorers, Kostadinov. In the 77th minute, the last change was made as Shai Ben David replaced Allison Dos Santos.
In the 73rd minute, the Greens scored their fourth. Rukavytsya took a wonderful long ball from Azulay and shot past Assaf Tzur, giving home side a 4:0 score line entering the remaining fifteen minutes of the match. The visitors added two goals late in the match, in the 87th and 90th minutes, squandering Haifa’s attempt for a clean sheet. Haifa came away with a vital three points and have now taken six points from four matches in the Israeli Premier League.