Hapoel Petach Tikva and Hapoel Tel Aviv played to a goalless draw as the point earned for Omer Peretz’s team punched their ticket to the Championship Playoffs which began next week.

“This is the greatest joy I’ve ever had from a draw,” Petach Tikav bench boss Omer Peretz began. “We could have finished it earlier. We built up emotions and it burst out. There’s no ‘deserve’ in this life, and we took what should have been ours. Credit to the players, the management, and the fans. Hapoel Petah Tikva is where it needs to be.”

“It’s crazy. This was not a good game for us, to say the least, but we were determined to get a result and stay solid defensively, something we weren’t used to during the season. We needed a result and did everything to secure a place in the top playoff. What’s happening here is amazing. The players, staff, and management are operating in the best possible way. Huge credit to my staff for helping me become a better coach. The players deserve all the appreciation, this is theirs, big time.”

“It’s not easy, this is disappointing,” Hapoel Tel Aviv Head Coach Eliyaniv Barda began. “It’s a game we should have won and deserved to win. We weren’t focused on the final pass, we didn’t deliver it well. It’s a shame, we left two points here. There’s no ‘deserve’ in football. Even if you deserve more, you come away with a point. The opponent did their job, but we needed to be much more decisive in the final third and finish attacks better.”

Barda added, “We want to bring the club back to the top, to where it belongs. We got promoted exactly a year ago after a 0–0 draw against that same Hapoel Petah Tikva, and today we’re competing for a top playoff spot and want to reach the maximum possible. That’s why I’m disappointed. But overall, especially in home games, we’ve done something unprecedented. In away games we must improve, today the points slipped from our hands.”

Maccabi Netanya and Hapoel Haifa also played to a goalless draw as did Ironi Tiberias and Ashdod while Bnei Sakhnin blanked Maccabi Bnei Reineh 1-0 on an Ahmed Salman penalty in the 10th minute of action.

Diamond City squad Head Coach Roni Levi looked back the result, “We faced a good opponent that defended well and stayed compact. It was hard to find space. In the end, we created chances to decide the match, especially in the 85th minute. In my opinion, they barely created anything, but these are the kinds of games you have to win. I’m very disappointed. Netanya belongs in the top playoff. I think there’s potential here, with the fans and the new owner to aim higher than just the top playoff. Unfortunately, throughout the season, we’re probably not good enough to be there.”

Carmel Reds bench boss Haim Silvas said, “It was an excellent defensive game, aside from the counterattack where we got caught during a set piece. Netanya didn’t have much beyond that. We knew they would push forward and commit players. On the other hand, our attacking play wasn’t good. Things we usually do more easily weren’t there, we weren’t calm on the ball in the first or second pass. The composure and boldness in attack just weren’t there.”