Maccabi Tel Aviv drubbed Beitar Jerusalem 4-0 at Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem succumbing to the capital city side last week in the Toto Cup Final. Chico Odoedu scored a brace while Yonatan Cohen scored a goal and assisted on a pair of others in the blowout victory. Daniel Tenenbaum, the yellow-and-blue keeper recorded yet another clean sheet in league play while also stopping a Shlomi Azoulay second half penalty.

Maccabi coach Vladimir Ivic’s side first goal came right at the stroke of halftime when Ofoedu nodded home a Cohen pass for a 1-0 lead, leaving Beitar shaking their heads as they headed into the break. Five minutes into the second half Ofoedu was once again at the center of attention when he drew a free kick right at the top of the Beitar box which Cohen easily lofted into the top right hand corner for a 2-0 advantage.

With Roni Levy’s yellow-and-black reeling, Cohen and Ofoedu once again teamed up to beat Beitar keeper Itamar Nitzan as the former served up the latter a brilliant through ball that the striker put home. Cohen yet again tried to find Ofoedu in the box but his pass missed the intended target and made its way to Ruslan Barsky who scored from in close to give Vladimir Ivic’s squad revenge after falling to Beitar in the Toto Cup Final.

Bnei Yehuda and Hapoel Tel Aviv drew 1-1 as both sides continued their mediocre start to the season. Demba Camara, the Reds new striker pulled down Matan Baltaxa in the box in the 45th minute which handed Bnei Yehuda a penalty that Dor Jan converted to take a 1-0 lead into the second half. However, a Dor Elo handball in the area gave Hapoel a penalty which Or Inbrum missed but put in his own rebound to split the points.

Hapoel Beer Sheva slipped by Hapoel Raanana 1-0 at Turner Stadium thanks to a Miguel Vitor header off an Oren Bitton corner in the 39th minute to snag the 3 points.

Maccabi Haifa disposed of struggling Maccabi Netanya 3-0 at Sammy Ofer Stadium. Nikita Rukavytsya took advantage of a marvelous Dolev Haziza through ball to put home his own rebound as the Greens took a 1-0 lead in the 21st minute. Twenty minutes later, Sun Menachem doubled Marko Balbul’s side’s lead when he headed in a Tjaron Chery free kick while Haziza scored a 65th minute strike to take the 3 points and the win.

Hapoel Hadera hosted Kiryat Shemona to a wild 2-2 contest at the Netanya Stadium. The northern squad took a 1-0 lead in the 26th minute when Omer Lakou sent a magnificent through ball to Mohammed Shaker who beat Hadera keeper Austin Ejide, but Roie Zikri found the equalizer less than ten minutes later when he put home a Dziugas Bartkus rebound. Eliel Peretz then put Hadera ahead in the 56th minute, however, Ismaeel Ryan scored for Kiryat Shemona off a nice give and go by Lakou and James Adeniyi.

Ashdod and Hapoel Haifa played to a 1-1 draw at the port city as the two squads took home a point a piece. After a goalless first half, Maharan Lala scored for the first time in two years when he took a cross and put the ball into the back of the goal for a 1-0 lead in the 47th minute. But thirty minutes later, substitute Shoval Gozlan headed home a Sagiv Yehezkel cross to knot the score up.

In the battle of the recently promoted sides, Nes Ziona and Hapoel Kfar Saba drew 1-1. Elad Shahaf got things started off early when his 25 meter blast beat a stunned Itamar Israeli in the 2nd minute but just ten minutes later Boubacar Traore headed home the equalizer off an Omer Fadida corner kicks as the side’s split the points.