Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Tel Aviv played to a spirited 1-1 draw that saw plenty of action from both sides as they split the points. In what was a rough and tumble first half, yellow-and-black central defender Brayan Carabali was handed a pair of first half yellow cards that saw him sent off leaving Beitar with ten men for the balance of the matchup.

However, that was only the beginning of the action as both coaches Barak Itzhaki and Dusan Matovic, who was standing in for Elyaniv Barda due to yellow card accumulation, were both issued red cards as the game got a bit out of hand. Omri Altman broke the deadlock with an 84th minute penalty as Ori Dahan tripped up Mor Buskila after a dribble into the box but the same Dahan knocked in the equalizer after a Grigori Morozov shot at the other end just minutes later as the squads earned a point a piece for their efforts.

Beitar Jerusalem Head Coach Barak Itzhaki reflected on the season, “When I arrived here with Almog Cohen 2.5 years ago as the team was on the verge of being relegated, we knew that we had to make some drastic changes and we had a good season late year. But this season we made an incredible leap that you can see will continue into the future as well. As for me my contract is over and we had agreed that after the season we would sit down and discuss what works be next and that’s what we will do.”

Hapoel Tel Aviv Head Coach Elyaniv Barda looked back at the draw, “We had a great home record but away we have had issues. We scored a late goal and then conceded, but at the end of the day we needed to move the ball from side to side a bit quicker as Beitar had only ten men. Our goals this season were to play in the Championship Playoffs and get to play in European Qualifiers and that’s what we were able to accomplish.”

Yarden Shua wrapped up the season, “We were close and it’s disappointing and it hurts but Beitar Jerusalem was there in the title battle for the first time in many years and we hope that this will continue. We tried to give the fans the best that we could and we all know there is nothing like them as they have followed us all over the country. There’s no reason to think that I won’t be with the club next season as we will continue to build on what we’ve done here this year.”

Omri Altman spoke about the game and the season as a whole, “We would have liked to end the season with a win and the game was in our hands but ultimately it didn’t work out the way we wanted it to. I’m happy with how the way this season went and it was a very good campaign for us. Hapoel Tel Aviv will be battling for titles in the future.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv and Hapoel Petach Tikva played to a 2-2 draw as Mamady Diarra scored a late goal to help the hosts split the points at the Moshava Stadium. Raz Shlomo opened the scoring early on as he nodded home an Itamar Noy corner in the 4th minute but Yonatan Cohen found the equalizer from the penalty spot ten minutes later.

Dor Peretz broke the deadlock thanks to a through ball by Elad Madmon in the 61st minute but Diarra’s screamer drew Petach Tikva even as the sides earned a point a piece for their efforts. Next up for Maccabi Tel Aviv is the Israel State Cup Final against Hapoel Beer Sheva on Tuesday night at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem.

Maccabi Tel Aviv Head Coach Kenny Miller spoke about the draw, “I think we played really well in spells. Again, this is a team that’s difficult to play against at times. The way they play, they want to keep possession and make you work hard to win the ball back. I think when we go 2–1 up and then concede a late goal, that’s a problem. Too many times during the season we’ve conceded late goals in the last five, ten, or fifteen minutes of games when we were in a good position.”

Hapoel Petach Tikva Head Coach Omer Peretz shared his thoughts on the match, “We finished the season on a positive note; in general, the whole season was amazing. It was our return season to the Premier League and we truly managed to exceed even our own expectations. I’m happy. I want to thank everyone, the management, the fans and especially my staff, the club personnel and the players for what we achieved this year.”