Hapoel Beer Sheva got by Maccabi Bnei Reineh 2-0 as the southern reds scored a goal in each half against the 10-man host who saw Mor Brami issued a red card in the 2nd minute and for all intents and purposes decide the game before it began. The victory moved Beer Sheva back into first place as they will next face second place Beitar Jerusalem in their next league match.

Just as the match got underway, Brami was sent off after a studs up attempt for the ball that caught Igor Zlatanovic on the back of his foot, leaving Reineh down a man for the majority of the contest. Muhammed Knaan took advantage of the extra player as he sent a brilliant strike into the back of the goal off a Kings Kangwa assist to give Ron Kozuk’s squad a 1-0 lead. The same Kangwa then added a marker of his own from inside of the box thanks to an Ofir Davidzada assist in the 65th minute to wrap up the win.

Beer Sheva bench boss Ran Kozuk shared his thoughts on the victory, “The players come into every match committed. They are very mature and intense and they deserve huge praise. The fans came up north and supported us after we disappointed recently. I’m very happy for them.”

Bnei Reineh Head Coach Adham Hadiya spoke about the defeat, “You can’t give a red card for something like that in the second minute. How can the result be decided after two minutes? You have to take into account how the foul was committed and that there’s a situation in the game that needs to be better understood. It wasn’t a foul that endangered a player, he stepped on him unintentionally. We didn’t fall apart and that’s important. I believe in the team and the players.”

Maccabi Haifa slipped by Iorni Tiberias 3-2 in an entertaining clash that’s aw Kenji Gorre decide the match with his game winner in the 82nd minute to hand the greens the 3-points. Wahib Habiballa opened the scoring with a header off a corner kick to give Tiberias the shock 1-0 lead in the 5th minute, but Guy Melamed found the equalizer inside of the box twenty minutes later.

Kenny Saeif then scored to send Barak Bachar’s team into the break holding a 2-1 lead but Daniel Joulani pounded the ball home in the second half to draw Eliran Hodeida’s team even at 2-2 in the 63rd minute. But Kenji Gorre’s long range shot late in the game beat keeper Ido Sharon to give Haifa the 3-2 victory.

Haifa Head Coach Barak Bachar reflected on the win, “We managed to complicate things for ourselves, you could say. At 2-1 we could have extended the lead, but then we conceded and the pressure started. I’m happy we managed to keep possession and it’s important to win after the heavy defeat we suffered in the previous round. It’s always important to bounce back and win at home.”

Tiberias bench boss Eliran Hodedah said, “Of course it’s very frustrating. We were in the game the whole way through and the three goals we conceded were soft, but I’m proud of the guys for the way they played, the mental resilience they showed in the match and that’s very encouraging for us.”

Hapoel Tel Aviv blanked Maccabi Netanya 2-0 as both goals were scored in the second half to hand the reds the 3-points and the win at Bloomfield Stadium. Following a goalless first half, Roy Korine put home a rebound off an Xander Silva shot that had been saved by Omer Niron but the ball went right to the ongoing striker to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. Amit Lemkin added the insurance marker off an Andrian Kraev throw in to hand Hapoel the victory.

Hapoel Tel Aviv Head Coach Elyaniv Barda summed up the win, “It was really great to see the support of the fans and the trust in the process we’re going through at a packed stadium. We knew that Netanya are outstanding in the attacking third, especially in transitions. We saw what happened in Haifa, so we stayed a bit more cautious. In the second half, as it went on, we managed to push them back. We took risks and every substitution came in and had an immediate impact.”

Maccabi Netanya Head Coach Roni Levy reflected on the loss, “In the previous match we found solutions to move the ball and get into transitions with good decision-making. This time we managed to break free and create opportunities, but we didn’t make good decisions. In the second half, we didn’t find solutions at all and Hapoel Tel Aviv pressed us. We kept them to relatively few chances but too easily allowed them to decide the match.”

Hapoel Petach Tikva got by Ashdod 2-0 as Roie Hadad and Golan Beni scored second half goals to help Omer Peretz’s team take the win and the 3-points to get back onto the winning track.

Petach Tikva Head Coach Omer Peretz shared his thoughts, “We had a good first half, but in the second half a lot of turnovers allowed Ashdod to get back into the game. Although I received a late birthday gift, it was important to stop the losing streak and most importantly, the players promised me a win and delivered.”

Ashdod bench boss Avi Avinu said, “I think that in the first half we didn’t manage to execute our game plan. We knew the opponent would push us back and control possession. In the second half we managed to create momentum, but the balls just didn’t go in.”

Bnei Sakhnin and Hapoel Jerusalem played to a dry goalless draw in the Galilee as each team took a point for their efforts.