Maccabi Netanya downed Maccabi Haifa 3-2 as the diamond city squad mounted a second half comeback to shock the greens and take the away victory at Sammy Ofer Stadium. Dolev Haziza’s 15th minute penalty gave Haifa a 1-0 lead while Kenny Saeif’s gorgeous free kick from 30 meters out doubled the advantage for the hosts in the 59th minute. However, Maor Levi scored less than two minutes later to cut the lead and Rotem Keller scored off an Amit Cohen cross in the 64th minute to draw the visitors even.

Diego Flores’s team had a chance to take the lead in the 90th minute but Djorde Jovanovic’s penalty was saved by Omer Niron. Netanya then was handed a spot kick when Matheus Davo was pulled down in the box by keeper Georgiy Yermakov as the Brazilian took the spot kick and put it behind the Haifa shot stopper to give Yossi Abukasis’s team the victory.

Maccabi Netanya bench boss Yossi Abukasis spoke about the win, “I feel great. After a win like this, such a comeback, at such a stadium and the way we came into this game with so many missing players, we had to improvise in defense and I’m happy the players did a good job. This is one of the biggest wins.”

Maccabi Haifa Head Coach Diego Flores summed up the defeat, “We weren’t in the game from the first minute. Even when we were leading 2-0, it was a gift for us. This is the first time something like this happened to us. It was a very bad game. I’ve been in big clubs and the situation is very difficult. In the last four games, we’ve picked up only two points and that’s disappointing for everyone, we need to respond to this.”

Kiryat Shemona stunned Hapoel Beer Sheva 1-0 as Adrian Uggarriza headed home Yair Mordechai’s free kick in the 97th minute to hand the northerners the shock win and send the southern reds to their first loss of the season.

Kiryat Shemona Head Coach Shai Barda talked about the win, “I’m very happy and we deserved this win. It’s not easy to play well and not take points. I’m proud of the team. We knew their weaknesses and decided to stick to our game plan.”

Hapoel Beer Sheva Head Coach Ran Kozuk discussed the loss, “I knew exactly what was coming. Just before we went out onto the pitch I told them this is the kind of game you need to win if you want to become champions but Kiryat Shemona imposed their game on us.”

Hapoel Haifa clipped Maccabi Bnei Reineh 2-1 as the visitors snatched the 3-points thanks to a pair of late goals. After a goalless first half, Ze Turbo launched a scorcher into the back of the Carmel Reds goal to give Bnei Reineh a 1-0 lead in the 49th minute, but George Diba nodded home an Oren Bitton corner kick while Itay Boganim’s diving header in the 79th minute gave Ga Arel’s team the lead for good at Green Stadium.

Hapoel Haifa Head Coach Gal Arel reflected on the win, “A lot of pressure was released. We went into the second half trying to press higher, but unfortunately we conceded. My staff and I thought about what to do and responded as we brought on Rotem Hatuel and Boganim and it worked to our delight.”

Maccabi Bnei Reineh beach boss Adham Hadiya said, “We led 1-0 and in the first half we created chances. We were dominant and everything was going well until we conceded. In the end, they scored and that brought us down, especially since some of our players weren’t fully fit. On a counterattack, they scored the second and sealed the result.”

Bnei Sakhnin blanked Ironi Tiberias 2-0 as Artur Miranyan found the back of the goal in the 5th minute while Jubayer Bushnak closed out the match with a strike in the 97th minute as Sharon Mimer’s side took the 3-points.

Sharon Mimer, the Bnei Sakhnin looked back at the win, “We want to get out of the bottom of the table and as fast as possible. That will help us play freer and better football later. I’m happy the team showed character, even after we missed two penalties. We stayed in the game, we played against a very good, well-coached team that will cause a lot of trouble in this league.

Ironi Tiberias Head Coach Eliran Hodeida spoke about the loss, “Sakhnin capitalized on almost every chance. It was a match we should’ve finished in a draw so to lose is very disappointing. Except for the weak start, we held possession and controlled the game. We weren’t good enough in the final third, but we could’ve created a 1-1. The players came with the right attitude and at times looked good.”

Hapoel Jerusalem and Hapoel Petach Tikva played to a goalless draw as the capital city reds finally picked up their first point of the season.

Hapoel Jerusalem bench boss Ziv Arie looked back at the draw, “We’re never satisfied with a point. We need to play better. In our situation, it’s tough, so not conceding and taking a point, we hope it’s the beginning of something. We didn’t concede, we took a point, but we wanted more. We could’ve played better let’s start there.”

Hapoel Petach Tikva bench boss Omer Peretz also spoke about the draw, “Sometimes the clearest chances just don’t go in and then you concede from one random situation, but that’s the profession we’re in. We had enough chances to score. It wasn’t a good game from us, to say the least. We didn’t do enough to win. On the other hand, there were matches where we played better and didn’t win either.”