Maccabi Haifa blanked Beitar Jerusalem 2-0 to take the win and 3-points at Teddy Stadium in the capital city. Anan Khalaili scored a left footed stunner just ahead of the first half break while Dean David scored off a give and go with Lior Refaelov minutes into the second half to wrap up the victory.

“I always believed in my team and it didn’t matter where we were even being 10 points behind the top of the table,” Haifa coach Messay Dego said. “I told the guys to keep believing in one another and don’t look at the standings but just at ourselves. I am so proud of them and it was the second game in a row that we did concede as well.”

“It’s always disappointing to lose and we needed this win,” Beitar’s interim coach Gal Cohen said. “We faced a very tough opponent and we tried our best to win this game but came up short. I wanted to play with our physical players in this game but it wasn’t enough.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv and Bnei Sakhin played to a 1-1 draw as the sides split the points at Bloomfield Stadium. Mohammed Shaker gave the visiting Galilee squad a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute but newcomer Yonas Malede came to the rescue in the 88th minute to earn the hosts a a point.

“You don’t need to tell the guys you need to win the game, they know that,” Maccabi coach Robbie Keane said. “But what I did tell them is when you’re not winning games, you need the leading players, I’ve been there, no little groups, you stick together. We are a bit fragile but we have to stay focused and don’t think for one second that we will give up on anything no matter what.”

“We knew that Maccabi had to win this game,” Sakhnin assistant coach Salach Hasarma said. “The way the game ended opening up I’m disappointed with the result but the bottom line is that we can still be content with recording a point.”

Hapoel Hadera slipped by Hapoel Tel Aviv 1-0 thanks to Ilay Madmon’s 53rd minute penalty goal that handed the hosts the 3-points.

“There is a new sprit within the team and we knew that the game was going to go this way,” Hadera coach Haim Silvas said. “It was a tight and tactical battle all the way to the end and while It would be great if we could have scored a second goal, this is an excellent win for us.”

“It was my first game with the club and I would have liked the result to be a bit different,” Hapoel Tel Aviv’s new head coach Yossi Abuksis said. “But the first half was even and then we gave up that goal early on in the second half. We didn’t play intelligently and while it’s disappointing to lose this game, we will continue on.”

Maccabi Petach Tikva downed Maccabi Bnei Reineh 1-0 as Idan Gorno’s second half header made all the difference for the hosts to collect the 3-points and the win.

“I enjoyed this very much,” Petach Tikva coach Ron Kozuk said. “We faced one of the best teams in the league but we were able to dictate the pace of play in the game. We may not have created that many chances but we pressed high and were able to take the win.”

“We are in 5th place and I hope that we can continue to win in order to move up in the table,” Reineh coach Sharon Mimer began. “We knew that Petach Tikva was going to control the momentum and their coach and players deserve credit for closing us down tactically so well in this game.”

Ashdod blanked Hapoel Petach Tikva 2-0 as a pair of quick first half goals gave the port city squad the win and the points. Mohammed Knaaan found the back of the goal in the 39th minute and just 3 minutes later, Ezekiel Henty headed home the insurance marker for the hosts.

“We’re very disappointed with the game,” Petach Tikva coach Ofer Tesselpepe said. “We tried to come back but we didn’t have enough to do so. I can understand the fans pain and we lost a game thaw as worth 6-points. At the end of the day the responsibility belongs to the coach.”

“I had a good feeling coming into this game,” Ashdod bench boss Eli Levy said. “I knew that after last week’s loss that we would come into the game properly. I am happy that the guys did that but we also have to keep on working because everything is so close and tight at the bottom of the standings.”