Hapoel Beer Sheva couldn’t have had a better start to the season as the southern reds demolished Hapoel Hadera 3-0. Miguel Vitor found the back of the goal via a header less than a minute into the game to give the hosts a quick 1-0 lead while Antonio Sefer’s stunner of a strike twenty minutes later doubled the advantage. Helder Lopes added the third marker as he scored off a rebound in the second half to close out a clinical 3-0 victory.

“I am happy that we began the seasons the way we did,” Beer Sheva coach Elyaniv Barda said. “There were some points we didn’t push but as a coach I am always trying to look at how we can do better. The last couple of games in Europe weren’t that bad as we created a lot of chances as we did in this game. We have a strong team and a good bench and whoever gives everything for the club will be the ones who will play.”

“I’m very disappointed that after under a minute Hapoel Beer Sheva was already in the lead,” Hadera coach Niso Avitan began. “We fell apart so quickly as once they took the lead we had to push and try to get back into the game which turned out very badly for us. We can do much better than we did in this match.”

Hapoel Haifa surprised Beitar Jerusalem 2-1 as the Carmel reds scored a pair of unanswered goals to snatch the 3-points. The yellow-and-black hosted their season opener in Tel Aviv due to a radius penalty levied against the team but made sure to take advantage of the situation as Yarden Shua converted a penalty to head into the break with a 1-0 lead. However, Haifa found the equalizer very early in the second half as Itay Boganim nodded home the tying goal in the 46th minute. As the game looked to be moving towards a draw, Mohammed Kamara headed home a Tomer Yosefi call with authority to take the victory.

“It was great to mount a comeback like this on the road,” a thrilled Haifa coach Roni Levy said. The players really had the right mentality and the fans were rewarded with a terrific and important win. We made a lot of changes in the offseason to the squad and it takes time for the team to jell but I am very happy with how we played after a tough summer.”

“We made foolish fouls in the middle of the pitch as well as on set pieces and that’s how we blew this game” Beitar coach Yossi Abuksis said. “We didn’t defense well and that’s how we lost the match. We played well for any minutes but without a true striker up front and we need to find a killer to finish off a play the way we need to.”

Bnei Sakhnin and Hapoel Tel Aviv opened up the season with a 1-1 draw at Doha Stadium in the Galilee. Reds newcomer Mavis Tchibota scored from right in front of the goal to take an early lead but Anis Ayias headed home the tying goal in the 65th minute to earn a split of the points.

“At the start of the game I would have taken a draw,” Sakhnin coach Slobodan Drapic said. “But when we scored, we pushed and we went for the win. That is what I would have wanted to have happened. Our guys really gave a heroic game and played their best to get the result.”

“It was going to be a tough game and it was a physical battle as we dominated,” Hapoel Tel Aviv Michael Valkanis said. “We had to make some changes, we know what our problems have been and a championship is not a sprint but a marathon. We are close, but to take a point is just as important.”

Maccabi Petach Tikva and Hapoel Jerusalem played to a 1-1 draw as the sides split the points at the Moshava Stadium. Nadav Nidam gave the Reds the lead just ahead of the break but second half substitute Ben Sahar didn’t waste any time to draw his side even in the 48th minute as each team took a point for their efforts.

“This was the first game and we some players who were presumed, and nervous and on one wants to lose,” Maccabi Petach Tikva bench boss Benny Lam said. “We began the game well but then things started to get shaky a bit. We took a point and there are things to fix up but all in all this was a good result.”

“We played well in general and there were some things we could have done better. There are things we will need to fix up for next game and we will need to take a look ahead of the next game,” Hapoel Jerusalem head coach Ziv Arie said.

Maccabi Netanya and Maccabi Bnei Reina drew 1-1 in dramatic fashion as the visitors were gifted an own goal in the 90th minute to split the points. Eitan Azulay opened the scoring to give Netanya a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute but the hosts lost Nassim Ouammou to a red card after a reckless studs up foul on Henry Vaca leaving the diamond city side with just ten men from the 62nd minute. Amit Meir’s attempt in the 90th minute caromed off of keeper Tomer Tzarfati and into the Netanya goal as Bnei Reina stole a point just before the final whistle.

“I’m disappointed with the result although we could have lost the game at the end,” Bnei Reina coach Sharon Mimer said. “We have a good team here and while we created some chances we just weren’t sharp enough. We were in this game for the most part and we had about 5-6 good chances but we just couldn’t convert.”

“We knew that this was going to be a tough game and the red card made it even more difficult,” Netanya coach Ron Kozuk began. “Up until that red card we should have won but unfortunately that wasn’t the case. We will learn from this game and continue on.”