Beitar Jerusalem got by Hapoel Haifa 3-2 in a thriller up by the Carmel Mountain. The hosts grabbed a 1-0 lead when Ofek Bitton scored off of Porat Ayash’s ball that went off of the post but Adi Yona’s individual effort and shot from just at the top of the box drew the yellow-and-black even at 1-1 in the 47th minute. Yarden Shua then headed Yarden Cohen’s cross to the goal as Haifa’s Gorge Diva accidently knocked it into his own goal while Johnbosco Kalu beat Niv Antman from long range to give Beitar a 3-1 lead. Roie Zikri scored off of Miguel Silva’s poor clearance to pull Haifa to within a goal but that’s as close as they would get as Beitar took the win.

Beitar Jerusalem Head Coach Barak Itzhaki said, “It was a very important win for us; we came into this game after a disappointing draw. I’m happy that I saw a lot of good things and that’s encouraging. Of course, there are still things to fix. We started well, we just didn’t move the ball fast enough. That happens to us a lot this season and it’s a shame. It was also important for Adi Yona to score a goal, I’m happy that play worked out. We could have scored two or three more goals, but on the other hand, we conceded one that put us under pressure in the closing minutes.”

Haifa bench boss Gal Arel also commented on the game, “It’s disappointing. In the first half, our game plan worked perfectly. I explained to them how important it was to start the second half strong, but then Beitar gained momentum and once that happens, it’s hard to chase them. On every turnover they had, we tried to play forward quickly and it worked well in the first half. After we conceded, there was a lack of confidence and fatigue also played a role.”

Maccabi Haifa and Ironi Tiberias played to a dramatic 1-1 draw as Guy Hadida scored the tying goal deep into second half injury time to split the points. Trivante Stewart headed home a Kenny Saief corner kick to give the Greens a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute but Hadida nodded in a Niv Gotlieb ball in the box in the 96th minute to stun Haifa and its new coach Barak Bachar and hand Tiberias a point.

Haifa bench boss Barak Bachar summed up the game, “We made a lot of mistakes in the added time. We needed to be more responsible and composed but it was chaotic and that’s a shame. We should have killed the game at the end; we wanted to win and could have increased our lead. We need to learn from this. It’s the first match, so we need to analyze it calmly. There’s determination and desire; we’re trying to do things differently, so there were moments of good football. We changed formation and felt good, but then the game turned and we had to dig deep to get through it.”

Tiberias Head Coach Eliran Hodeda spoke about the draw, “We deserved a point and maybe even more. I’m very proud of the way we played. We created four 100% goal chances in the first half. We managed to control the game and trouble Haifa. We took one point, but we gained a lot from the way we played and our attitude. Of course, against Maccabi Haifa, there was a drop in intensity in the second half, we’re still Tiberias, after all. There’s always room for improvement, but we’re happy with the point and just as importantly, with the way we played.”

Maccabi Netanya blanked Hapoel Tel Aviv 2-0 thanks to a pair of second half goals by the diamond city side to take the 3-points. After a goalless first half, Fernand Mayembo, the Hapoel captain was issued his second yellow card and sent off in the 68th minute leaving the reds with 10 men which Netanya quickly took full advantage of. Just minutes later, Karem Jaber sent a perfect cross into the middle of the box that Maor Levi put home for a 1-0 lead while Omri Shamir took advantage of sloppy defensive play in the 90th minute to seal the deal and hand Netanya the victory.

Netanya Head Coach Yossi Abukasis summed up the win, “The first half was terrible. We couldn’t cope with Hapoel Tel Aviv and luckily we went into halftime at 0-0. We changed formation and made three substitutions and even though their performance wasn’t great either, at least we weren’t exposed defensively. From that point on, we controlled the game. It was a very important win.”

Hapoel Tel Aviv coach Elyaniv Barda spoke about the defeat, “That’s the beauty of football, the better team doesn’t always win. We controlled the match very well and created chances. They made a tactical change, which was tough for us to handle, but we fixed it. Until the 70th minute, the game was going our way, but the red card changed everything. That’s football.”

Hapoel Jerusalem and Bnei Sakhnin played to a goalless draw as each side had a terrific chance to break the deadlock in the second half but both keepers, Muhammad Abu Nil made the save on Guy Badash’s chance and Nadav Zamir was alert on Ahmed Taha opportunity as the sides split the points.

Sakhnin bench boss Sharon Mimer spoke about the draw, “I’m actually very pleased. We faced a team under immense pressure that desperately needed the points and sometimes that’s harder than playing against a team that plays open football. We deserved to win because we missed several big chances, but the result is fair. We’ve taken another step away from the bottom of the table and the gap from the relegation zone has grown.”

Hapoel Jerusalem Head Coach Ziv Arie said, “We always want to win. For many stretches of the game, we didn’t show the football we wanted to and didn’t look good enough. We’ll move on, work hard and focus on the next match. In the second half we did some good things, but in the final third we weren’t sharp enough and the players weren’t calm enough in front of goal.”

Hapoel Petach Tikva and Ashdod played to an entertaining 1-1 draw as the two squads split the points at the port city. Chipyoka Songa took a through ball and beat the Ashdod keeper in the 10th minute to give Petach Tikva a 1-0 lead, but Eugene Ansah scored in the box to draw the hosts even ahead of the break as the match ended with each side taking a point a piece.