Beitar and Hapoel drew 1-1 in an entertaining Jerusalem derby as the two sides split the points for their efforts at Teddy Stadium. After a goalless first half Matan Hozez gave the reds a 1-0 lead when he scored off a cross into a wide open goal in the 55th minute. However, Barak Itzhaki’s substitutes came through 25 minutes later as Dor Micha fed Silva Kangani a perfect through ball that he put past the Hapoel keeper to draw the yellow-and-black even. Beitar looked to have taken a lead via Patrick Twumasi but the Virtual Assistant Referee (VAR) called the marker off due to a foul on Guy Badash as the two sides ended the game in a 1-1 draw.

“I just don’t understand how they disallowed the goal,” Izthaki said after the game, questioning the referees. “I usually don’t talk about referees, I’m hot and bothered by it because it annoys me. It can’t be that a few minutes before a 100% penalty with a push without touching the ball wasn’t whistled for us and then they try to find a foul after the ball was already back in Hapoel Jerusalem’s control. I can remain silent to a certain extent, the VAR decided the game.”

As for the game itself, Itzhaki added, “I think we were probably much better in the first half, we also got into better situations, but it was a pretty even game with an advantage to us. We didn’t start the second half well, but we knew how to come back and take control of the game again. It ended the way it ended, unfortunately.”

“Beitar didn’t get into any scoring situations and it should have been an easy 2-0 win for us,” Hapoel coach Ziv Arie began. “But that’s our naivety. I prepared the players for a tough game and I told them that Beitar was having a hard time without having won a game recently. The players seemed nervous at first, then they calmed down in the second half and the game went completely our way. 2-0 would have sealed it. But this has been our season.”