Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Netanya played to a 1-1 draw at the Netanya Stadium to split the points. Avi Rikan slammed home a free kick in the 24th minute to give the yellow-and-blue a 1-0 lead while minutes later it looked as if Maccabi scored a pair more via Djorde Jovanovic and Tal Ben Chaim but both goals were called offside and Mladen Krstajic’s squad went into the break with a one goal lead. However, the advantage didn’t hold up long as Aviv Avraham as he took a Hen Ezra pass to beat Daniel Peretz to earn a point a piece.

“It was a difficult game and we took a 1-0 lead but Netanya took some risks and tried to win the second half,” Krstajic said. “I have no complaints, the players gave their maximum. We came here to have a good season and it will be tough for any big team to win so many games in a row. Sometimes there are periods of time when you just can’t score.”

Hapoel Tel Aviv slipped by Bnei Sakhnin 2-1 as the Reds scored two late goals to comeback and take the victory at Bloomfield Stadium. Guy Melamed opened the scoring with a goal in the 43rd minute but Yoav Tomer scored in the 84th minute off of a Shlomi Azulay assist to draw even as the visitors tried to hold on for a draw. However, Hapoel would have none of that as this time Tomer sent Azulay a fine ball at the top of the box that he put into the Sakhnin goal deep into injury time to take the 3-points.

“I believe that we were the better team throughout the entire game,” Hapoel coach Kobi Refuah said. “We could have scored one or two goals in the first half. We waited a long time to see what Shlomi Azulay can do and I had faith in him the whole time.”

“To give up a goal late in the game is painful but we played well although Hapoel was better than us,” Sakhnin boss Haim Silvas explained. “We didn’t play well enough from the start until the end of the match and perhaps if we had been bit more focussed we could have increased our first half lead.”

Beitar Jerusalem just got by Ashdod 1-0 as Gleofilo Hasselbaink scored the lone goal off of a Yarden Shua pass in the 21st minute to give the capital city side the 3-points and the win at Teddy Stadium.

“A big club with this type of huge crowd gets these types of opportunities,” Beitar coach Yossi Abuksis said following the win. “This game was similar to the one against Hapoel Haifa but we were more accurate this time around. We had a wonderful first half and their keeper made sure that we didn’t score two or three more goals.”

“We are in a very messy situation which has been the story of our season,” Ashdod bench boss Rav Ben Shimon explained. “We played a miserable first half and while we were able to eventually do some pretty nice things in the midfield we couldn’t convert those chances to goals.”

Maccabi Petach Tikva hosted Hapoel Haifa to a goalless draw at the Moshava Stadium as time is beginning to run out on Nir Klinger’s team who are trying to avoid relegation. While Petach Tikva controlled the pace of play for the most part it was the Carmel Reds who found the back of the goal by Alon Turgeman but the marker was ruled to be offside by the VAR (Virtual Referee Assistant) as the sides split the points.

“The result was determined by the defensive style of the game,” Haifa coach Elisha Levy said. “No one enjoys a 0-0 draw and we scored what we feel were good goals but unfortunately the VAR ruled otherwise. I’ll take the result and that’s it from this game as we kept our distance from the relegation zone.”

“We needed to do more,” Klinger said. “We did as much as we could and we missed some crazy opportunities some that I can’t ever remember missing near the end of the game. I understand the pressure and feelings due to our situation and I am empathic to that but we have to play and when we do play that’s what helps us win.”

Hapoel Jerusalem and Hapoel Nof HaGalil played to a scoreless draw in a critical bottom of the table clash at Teddy Stadium as both squads had chances to break the deadlock but couldn’t find the back of the goal to take a point a piece.

“We looked ok in this game and I am not disappointed as I was after the match against Hadera,” Jerusalem coach Ziv Arie explained. “We created chances and could have scored and we held Nof HaGalil to opportunities just off of our own turnovers. We all want to stay up in the league but it’s not that simple.”

“This wasn’t enough and we had chances in the first half that could have decided the game,” Nof HaGalil bench boss Shay Barda said. “In the second half we had no answers to their pressing as there are many elements that can influence a relegation battle match. We are doing what we can with what we have.”

Kiryat Shemona smashed Hapoel Hadera 4-1 as the northern capital squad scored a quartet of unanswered goals after going down early to take the 3-points. Maxim Plakuschenko handed the hosts a 1-0 lead via 16th minute penalty but from that moment on it was all Kiryat Shemona. Roie Kehat quickly found the equalizer when he jumped all over a Robi Levkovich rebound less than 10 minutes later while Mohammed Shaker latched onto a poorly executed back-pass to the keeper to give Slobodan Drapic’s team a 2-1 lead just ahead of the halftime break. With the momentum all going in Kiryat Shemona’s favor Itamar Shviro and Itay Ben Shabbat scored in the second half to hand the northerners the 3-goal win.

“I told the players that we have to focus on what is left in the season and to be as professional and serious as possible in these games,” Drapic said. “Even when we gave up the first goal I felt that we were in control and that the goals would eventually come. This win will now keep us in the league 100%.”

“This was one of our weakest games since I have been the coach here,” a disappointed Menachem Koretzky explained. “This was very disappointing and I take full responsibility. We have taken a step back and we have to pay hard again and that starts in practice.”