Last night, I found myself back at Bloomfield Stadium and it felt fantastic. Even though my beloved Maccabi Tel Aviv wasn’t on the pitch, I was buzzing simply from being there. I’ve come to love soccer for the pure atmosphere it brings. The songs, the chants, the anticipation in the air – it all grabs you in a way that is hard to describe. A friend said to me during the match, “You just can’t compare the atmosphere at the basketball to the football – the football is just electrifying.” He was right. There’s a rawness to it that you can’t replicate indoors.

As a neutral supporter, I could just enjoy the game without the knot of anxiety that I feel when Maccabi plays. Instead, I found myself on my toes for large parts of the match, wondering which team would get up. Hapoel Tel Aviv and Beitar Jerusalem went toe-to-toe and the drama built right to the end. Then came the moment – a last-second free kick to Omri Altman, literally the final kick of the game. He buried it past the patchy Beitar wall and keeper Miguel Silva, sealing a 3–2 win for Hapoel and the stadium erupted.

Being back at Bloomfield reminded me of my last live game – that unforgettable final day of last season when Maccabi defeated Beitar 5-0 to clinch the title. Last night my team wasn’t playing, but it still stirred that same passion. For now, I’m looking ahead to tonight’s clash: Hapoel Petah Tikvah takes on Maccabi at the Moshava. I’ll be excited, of course, though it’s hard to imagine it matching the fireworks of last night.