Hapoel Tel Aviv crushed Hapoel Ramat Gan 4-0 as the reds scored all of the goals in the second half to take the win ahead of the Derby. After a goalless first half, Elyaniv Barda’s said scored a deluge of goals as Emmanuel Boateng broke the ice in the 57th minute while Douglas Owusu scored a magnificent marker off a break down the right flank to double the advantage. An Dudu Twito own goal made it 3-0 while captain Fernand Mayembo headed home the fourth goal with authority in second half injury time to wrap up the blow out win.

Elyaniv Barda said at the end of the game, “Even though we didn’t score, I think the first half was good as well, but we didn’t know how to capitalize on our opportunities and score the first goal that would open the floodgates. Thankfully, in the second half, the chances were converted into goals. As for the Derby, I’m not thinking about the next game, I just hope that we can continue playing at this level.”

Ramat Gan Head Coach Messay Dego added, “Nothing worked today. Defensively, we were very deep, which we haven’t been in any game this year. It was very difficult to watch, especially in the first half. I told the players that we were lucky to get away with it. Every two or three passes, we lost the ball. There are days like this, but we cannot fall apart the way we did at the end. That is something I cannot simply let slide.”

Beitar Jerusalem slipped past Bnei Sakhnin 1-0 as Eugene Ansah scored the lone goal of the contest in the second half off of a corner kick to give Almog Cohen’s charges their first win of the season after a pair of losses.

“Good feeling for sure,” Cohen began. “But it wasn’t a great game. In the second half, we created more chances. For me, the most important thing was the desire and the fighting spirit. It’s difficult to play quality football when you feel the pressure around you. As a coach, I tried to take that pressure off. Football is ultimately about enjoying yourself.”

“It’s frustrating,” Sakhnin Head Coach Yossi Abukasis said. “When you have a good first half, break through the pressure several times and create scoring opportunities, of course it’s frustrating. Unfortunately, we made a mistake and lost the game. In football, at the end of the day, you’re judged by the titles you win. What we were missing was sharpness in front of goal.”

Maccabi Netanya and Hapoel Haifa played to a 1-1 draw as Alon Turgeman scored in the first half to give the Carmel reds the lead but Matheus Davo’s second half penalty split the points at the Netanya Stadium.

Diamond city squad Head Coach Roni Levy spoke about the match, “At home, we always want to win and keep the momentum going. We came up against an opponent who made things difficult for us. We fell behind because of an uncharacteristic mistake that simply shouldn’t happen. We managed to come back and it was an even game. Our approach in the first half was rather passive. At the beginning of the game, we were still in control, but I think our approach was better in the second half and we made some changes that helped us.”

Haifa bench boss Haim Silvas also shared his thoughts, “A huge missed opportunity. Usually, I’m very measured, but I feel like we missed a great chance. We played a great game. Although we didn’t start the second half well, we created chances to win. We controlled the game both when we had the ball and when we didn’t. It’s a shame we weren’t more clinical. What we were missing was that final touch to turn the game in our favor.”