&Hapoel Tel Aviv picked up a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Maccabi Haifa, taking a 2-0 lead into halftime before holding off a spirited second-half push by the Greens to come away with all three points.

Elyaniv Barda’s Reds got off to a quick start in the 10th minute when Fernand Mayembo attempted to head the ball home, only for Maccabi Haifa defender Tsumani to inadvertently redirect it into his own net for the opening goal.

Hapoel doubled its advantage just before the break when Roie Alkukin’s long-range effort took a deflection off Daniel Dappa and sailed past goalkeeper Omri Glazer to give the visitors a 2-0 cushion heading into halftime.

Haifa came out with renewed energy after the break and immediately looked to get back into the contest. Kenji Gorre had an opportunity from close range but sent his attempt over the crossbar, while Eitan Azulay also fired off target.

At the other end, Hapoel nearly put the game away in the 52nd minute when Dappa found himself through on goal. Glazer made the initial save, and Dappa followed up on the rebound, but Tsumani came to the rescue with a goal-line clearance to keep the deficit at two.

The Greens finally broke through in the 58th minute. Azulay played the ball to Eli Dasa, who delivered a cross into the box for Bruninho to hammer home and cut Hapoel’s lead to 2-1.

The goal set up a frantic finish, with Bachar’s squad pressing hard for an equalizer while Hapoel looked to protect its advantage. Both sides had opportunities as the tempo continued to rise, but neither could find the back of the net again.

As the clock wound down, Barda’s team continued to withstand the Haifa pressure. Adam Grimberg had one final opportunity with a late header, but Assaf Tzur gathered the ball to preserve the 2-1 victory and send the Reds home with all three points.

Following the match, Barda acknowledged that his players were feeling the effects of a demanding schedule but was pleased with the way they defended under pressure.

“We were very tired in the second half, that’s true. As I said, having two major challenges within four days is something we’ll need to learn to deal with if we want to continue on our current path. I’m very pleased with these three points. Even when we were under pressure, we defended well as a team. Of course, it’s difficult to prevent everything and they had a few half-chances, but nothing that was a clear-cut scoring opportunity. Knowing how to protect such a narrow lead and come away with the win was very important.”

Haifa head coach Barak Bachar was disappointed with the result but saw encouraging signs in his team’s second-half performance and continued development.

“The first half was quite strange, but in the second half we had a number of attempts, picked up the pace and played better. We struggled with the little things again, and that is what we need to improve if we want to beat some of the bigger teams. We saw a team that is coming together and battling for a draw. We are a squad made up of veterans and youngsters, but we are improving and building a strong foundation.”