Beitar Jerusalem got past Hapoel Petach Tikva 3-1 as Dor Hugi scored a pair of late goals to seal the victory and give the yellow-and-black the 3-points at the Moshava Stadium and move into first place with Hapoel Beer Sheva playing on Monday at Hapoel Tel Aviv. Following a goalless first half, Yarden Shua slotted home an Omer Atzily pass for a 1-0 lead in the 49th minute but Boni Amian drew the hosts even at 1-1 a quarter hour later. However, as the match headed into second half injure time, Hugi scored off a beautiful Ziv Ben Shimol pass into the box in the 93rd minute and added an insurance marker 4 minutes later via a header off a Dor Micha ball to wrap up the win and the 3-points.

Jerusalem Head Coach Barak Itzhaki talked about the victory, “This was a very important but also very difficult win. We feel very good and it’s clear the guys in the dressing room are very happy. This was a very significant win for us. There was some squad management here and that is part of the job. The players know I’m very honest and go with what I believe in. Dor Hugi doesn’t play much and Ziv Ben Shimol came on in the 88th minute and gets an assist while Dor Micha also came in as a substitute and played excellent football.”

Hapoel Petach Tikva Head Coach Omer Peretz spoke about the defeat, “An amazing display of football with two great crowds. We were apathetic in the first half, but after their first goal we managed to loosen up a bit and that relieved the pressure. They scored but we had positive momentum in the game and we felt we could turn it around but we ended coming up short in the end.”

Bnei Sakhnin slipped by Maccabi Netanya 2-1 as the hosts scored a pair of goals in the second half to comeback and take the win along with the 3-points. The first half didn’t provide many chances, but Netanya under brand new head coach Roni Levy found the back of the goal deep into first half injury time by Luccas Paraizo as the victors grabbed a 1-0 lead at the break. However, Alon Auzgi knotted the game up early in the second half with a brilliant header past diamond city side keeper Omer Niron while Yusef Mustafa Sheh completed the comeback with a terrific free kick that sent the ball into the top left hand of the goal as time wound down to hand the hosts a 2-1 win.

Bnei Sakhnin Head Coach Sharon Mimer shared his thoughts on the win, “My players deserve a lot of credit, we’re really getting the maximum out of every game. We looked solid and we did some nice things during the match while keeping our focus forward. My job is to see when things are stuck or not working and then to change it up in order help the players. We changed our attack and that helped us create more chances.”

Netanya bench boss Roni Levy spoke about the defeat, “This is a big disappointment. I expected to open up my time with the club with a win, especially when we were leading at a very tough away ground. I think Sakhnin are a good team and very strong at home, but we kept them to almost zero chances. From my point of view it was quite an even game but there are many parameters that we need to improve significantly.”

Hapoel Jerusalem blanked Ironi Tiberias 2-0 as both goals were scored in the first half of the game to give the capital city reds the 3-points and the win. Ilay Madmon scored an early penalty after a handball in the box to give the hosts a 1-0 lead while Madmon’s corner kick found Awaka Ashta in the box who headed the ball into the goal to add an insurance marker as Jerusalem wrapped up the win by the break.

Jerusalem Head Coach Ziv Arie spoke about the win, “It wasn’t a game of great football. It started with an early penalty and another goal from a corner. We’ve lost games like this in the past, so right now we’re satisfied with the win.”

Tiberias bench boss Eliran Hodeida reflected on the loss, “This was a typical relegation-zone game. They scored two goals from set pieces and apart from that they didn’t really threaten us. We weren’t focused enough and that’s where the match slipped away.”

Maccabi Bnei Reineh and Ashdod played to a goalless draw as the two sides split the points.

Ashdod Interim Head Coach Nir Bitton said, “We tried to initiate play and press high and in the first half it worked better. Even stopping the losing streak and keeping a clean sheet is not something to be taken for granted. We’re already looking ahead to the next match.”

Bnei Reineh bench boss Adham Hadiya shared his thoughts, “This was the first game in which we didn’t concede, but we had to take this game. We deserved to win, plain and simple. The ball just didn’t go in and we lacked a bit of sharpness.”