Beitar Jerusalem came out flying against Maccabi Petach Tikva and produced one chance after the next early on as they pressed high and tried to suffocate the visitors by not allowing them to complete a single pass. The strategy against the newly promoted club worked to perfection as Tomer Yosefi fed Shon Weissman a perfect ball in the box that the striker easily converted with a one-touch into the back of the goal for his first marker in league play and set the tone for the yellow-and-black going forward.

Sure Ziv Arie’s Petach Tikva side had some superb opportunities, some of which should have been certain goals, but Almog Cohen’s shot stopper Miguel Silva was up to the task time and time again making save after save to keep the ball out of the net while other attempts just missed the intended target.

However, a 3-1 win it was for Beitar as they more than doubled their goal output and sent the fans home happy.

Now, beating the former Leumit club is no doubt what Beitar had to and needed to do, but they are by no means the litmus test for Cohen and his squad. That was a game that needed to be won and in fact, should have been put out of reach much earlier as they nursed a 2-0 lead for the majority of the matchup. That being said, it should be noted that Petach Tikva doesn’t have the quality a championship playoff team has which should certainly be taken into account.

But Cohen was able to notch the second win of his young head coaching career and made sure to even up Beitar’s record to 2-2 with two more winnable games coming up before they have to host Maccabi Tel Aviv back on their home turf at Teddy Stadium. Prior to the international break, Beitar will welcome Hapoel Haifa to their temporary Bloomfield home and then, the first game immediately after the Israel National Team plays four Nations League matches, will be at the Rechovot Stadium against Hapoel Ramat Gan.

Not to put the horse before the cart, but Beitar has a chance to win four games in a row and begin to breathe down the collective necks of Maccabi Tel Aviv. If Beitar can perform as they did in front of over 21,000 fans, then it’s certainly a possibility.

The pressing was key and that required commitment, effort and desire to play both ends of the pitch both offensively and defensively which Cohen’s troops did admirably. It was evident from the get go that they wanted this win and Beitar wasn’t going to just rely on their talent and abilities, they were going to dig in and work hard for the victory. That began with Yosefi and Weissman as the deadly duo produced numerous chances but also laid it all out on the line to win the game and put in the best performance possible.

When Beiter signed Weissman, he was heralded as one of the top Israelis playing abroad and would be a real game changer with technical abilities that would lead him to fill the goal. Finally, after four matches, the 30-year old striker had his moment in the sun, so to speak as he sliced the ball by right past Maor Erlich and celebrated with plenty of pomp and circumstance.

“I had a chance earlier and I heard the crowd around me,” Weissman said. “At that point I was already happy and thought, ‘If I’ve gotten myself into this position, I really want to score.’ As a striker, unless you’ve experienced it yourself, you can’t explain what it feels like to see the ball hit the net, especially in front of your own fans. It was incredible. It was crazy and we’re really enjoying it.”

Cohen explained why he wanted to see the former La Liga marksman in Israel’s capital, “From my very first conversation with Shon, I knew what he could bring to this way of playing and this style. He had already played this way at Wolfsberger and he brings a lot of leadership and a winning mentality. I also think the fit between him, our way of playing, our style and the team was something that was meant to be.

“I waited a long time,” Cohen continued. “I had a lot of options to move forward, but I fully believed that, in the end, I knew what Shon could give us. I also knew that, generally speaking, it takes a foreign-based Israeli player some time when he returns home. You spend several years in Europe and it takes time to readjust. Even if the weather isn’t foreign to you, it still takes time to get used to everything again.”

“For me, it was very important that Sean continue to play and get into his rhythm. In the previous game I let him play as much as possible and today, if I’d had the option, I would have left him on even longer. I’m happy for him that he scored because, ultimately, a striker needs to score goals. But Sean brings much more than goals. Much, much more.”

Weissman is going to be a key contributor to the team and as Cohen explained, his abilities are going to be invaluable for the club as they compete for the title. He had plenty of chances in the game where he came up empty but as he continues to get playing time he will be able to continue to see the nuances in Israeli soccer compared to the countries he has played in whether it was Spain, Austria or Italy.

“As a striker, at the end of the day you have to score goals and be judged on numbers and goals. More importantly, of course, we won and that’s what makes it so exciting and enjoyable. Now we move forward. There have been so many changes since October, with everything that happened and all of the stories. Like Almog said, I knew it was really good for me to be here. From the first conversation, I told my wife and she said the same thing, we both knew that this was ultimately where I would end up.

“I’m really happy and grateful for the trust they’ve shown me, Almog first and foremost, and everyone behind him. They really made me feel that this could be home and I’m happy I came here. But the pressure to prove myself is still on me. We haven’t done anything yet; it’s only Matchday Four. I’m happy that I scored this goal, but honestly, I’m even happier that we managed to win and make it two victories in a row.”

Beitar is now right smack dab in the middle of the table sitting in 7th place with 6 points while Maccabi Tel Aviv is a perfect 4/4 good for 12 points and in first place, the only club with such a record. Cohen will need to make sure he takes the next to wins in order to keep up with the yellow-and-blue as they will have their first chance against the Israel State Cup holders in mid-October.

The other top teams should continue to win and take points against the smaller clubs whether it’s Maccabi Haifa who are now in position to roll off half a dozen victories in a row, the reigning champions Hapoel Beer Sheva as well as Hapoel Tel Aviv. All of those teams will try and finish the season atop the table and take the lone Champions League qualification slot.

But first things first for Beitar, they need to take care of Haim Silvas’s Hapoel Haifa on Saturday night, ahead of the international break, in what will be their final home game at Bloomfield Stadium before heading back to Teddy and a date with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

“We’re already thinking about Saturday,” Weissman said. “As we want to build something and continue what we’ve done in the last two games. I think it’s all connected. It’s a combination of emotion and drive and the fans really lift me up, as they say. I can’t stop it. The drive is incredible and I hope we can keep it going for as long as possible. If it’s this crazy here at Bloomfield, I don’t know what to expect at Teddy Stadium. But I’m happy and I really can’t wait to get back to Teddy next month, I’m already looking forward to it.”