Hapoel Beer Sheva overwhelmed Maccabi Haifa 5-2, scoring three goals in quick succession to open the second half, including a brace from Igor Zlatanovic, before cruising to a convincing victory. Before kickoff, Haifa supporters celebrated the 80th birthday of legendary fan George Wasili, which proved to be the highlight of the evening for the Greens.

After a goalless first half, Ron Kozuk’s side came out firing. Zlatanovic headed home the opening goal before Jibril Diop pounced on a clearance inside the box to double Beer Sheva’s advantage. Matters went from bad to worse for Haifa when Noam Steifman was sent off for pulling down Javon East in the penalty area. Zlatanovic converted the resulting spot kick to complete his brace and put the visitors in complete control.

Following Bruninho’s missed penalty, Adam Grimberg pulled one back for Haifa, but Beer Sheva responded with goals from Amankwah Forson and a Grimberg own goal to make it 5-1. Grimberg scored again in the 90th minute, but it was too little, too late as Beer Sheva wrapped up an emphatic 5-2 win.

Beer Sheva head coach Ron Kozuk reflected on his team’s performance, “We understood very well before the match what our game plan needed to be and how it should translate into the football that we play. We didn’t do that enough in the first half, but we did in the second. I’m happy about that. It’s important to come to a tough away ground against an excellent team and do things we weren’t able to do last week, mentally speaking. This victory belongs to the players.”

Maccabi Haifa head coach Barak Bachar was left disappointed by the heavy defeat, “We conceded three goals in a matter of minutes after a decent first half. Unfortunately, the game was over within ten minutes. We made mistakes and were poorly positioned on corners. A mistake and a red card sealed the game. We conceded five goals, which is a shame. There were high expectations for this game, both from us and from the fans, and I’m sorry for them. It hurts a lot. It’s a slap in the face. This was a big test for us, and apparently, we’re not there yet. We’ll have to get back to that level.”

Beer Sheva captain Miguel Vitor reflected on the importance of the victory, acknowledging the team’s struggles in the first half and their improved performance after the break, “I knew it was going to be a tough game, and we saw that in the first half when we struggled. However, in the second half, we took our chances and converted them, which gave us confidence. We weren’t playing to make a statement, but we knew how important this game was for everyone, especially the fans. We wanted to show our fighting spirit and the quality we have as a team. This was a very important win for us.”

Kenji Gorre also expressed his frustration with the result while emphasizing the importance of bouncing back, “It’s very disappointing, and I don’t even know the words I could say. We were good in the first half, and then the three goals and red card really hurt us in the second half. But one game doesn’t define us, and this will make us stronger. Disappointments can go two ways, and we will use this to move forward from here.”

A Goalless First Half

Amir Ganah was active in the opening minutes for Beer Sheva, sending a free kick over the crossbar before delivering a corner that failed to produce a clear opportunity. At the other end, Brazao made his way into the box, but his effort sailed high into the stands.

Haifa threatened from several corners, with Tsunami coming close with a bicycle kick that narrowly missed the target. Bruninho also tested his luck, but his attempt was comfortably collected by Beer Sheva goalkeeper Ofir Marciano.

Greens goalkeeper Omri Glazer was called into action to keep out an effort from Javon East that took a deflection off Tsunami. At the other end, Andrija Novakovich sent a header narrowly wide as the teams headed into halftime deadlocked at 0-0.

Beer Sheva Explode After the Break

The second half began at a furious pace. Marciano produced an excellent save to deny Bruninho from a free kick, while Glazer parried away Ganah’s effort for a corner. That set piece proved decisive, as Igor Zlatanovic rose to head home Pedro Amador’s delivery and give Beer Sheva a 1-0 lead.

Kozuk’s side doubled its advantage just minutes later when Jibril Diop pounced on a clearance by Noam Steifman inside the penalty area and fired the ball high into the net.

Haifa’s evening deteriorated further when Steifman was shown a straight red card for pulling down East in the box. Zlatanovic stepped up and confidently converted the penalty in the 56th minute to make it 3-0.

Bachar responded with a double substitution and Haifa was soon awarded a penalty of its own after Amador tripped Brazao inside the area. However, Bruninho’s stutter-step effort was decisively saved by Marciano, preserving Beer Sheva’s three-goal advantage with around 30 minutes remaining.

Haifa continued to search for a breakthrough, with Brazao sending a low effort narrowly past the left post. The Greens eventually found the net through Grimberg, who finished from inside the box to reduce the deficit to 3-1.

Beer Sheva Seal the Rout

Any hopes of a Haifa comeback were quickly extinguished as Beer Sheva struck twice more. Amankwah Forson added the fourth before Grimberg inadvertently turned the ball into his own goal following a corner, extending the visitors’ lead to 5-1.

Grimberg found the net again in the 90th minute to make it 5-2, but the late goal did little to change the outcome. Beer Sheva comfortably saw out the closing moments to claim acommanding victory, while Haifa was left to reflect on a damaging second-half collapse.