Monday night saw all of the round’s Upper Playoff bracket teams in action, with Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa playing out a 1-1 draw in front of a 28,429 crowd in the game of the round at Bloomfield.
 
Both sides looked shaky with the ball early on, with defenders on both teams pressuring their opponents when they had the ball – with goal keepers Simon Sluga and Shareef Keouf looking particularly nervous. However, neither side was able to convert that pressure to the scoreboard in the first half with the teams going into the main break 0-0. The best opportunity came in the 25th minute when Dor Peretz fed the ball to Eran Zahava, with only Keouf standing between the Maccabi captain and the goals, but the attempt went wide to the left.
 
The second half got underway at a similar pace. While the first half was filled with missed opportunities, Maccabi finally broke the deadlock in the 51st with a strike from Zahavi inside the box. But it was only a matter of minutes before the teams were level again, with Xander Severina putting the ball past Sluga with a beautiful strike from the top of the box in the 59th minute. Both sides continued to create opportunities, but neither side was able to capitalize, with the Northern Greens leaving Tel Aviv with a point and Maccabi lamenting the missed opportunities.
 
“First, congratulations to my players,” Maccabi coach Žarko Lazetic, said “It’s not easy to play Haifa. Man to man, they had a good intensity. We didn’t score from the opportunities we had. The truth is that we created more opportunities than what I expected.  That’s part of football, now there’s pressure and big games ahead and we will analyze everything. But I’m proud of the players and the way we played, we aways have to improve but we played as a team and will continue to play that way.”
 
“In the end we pressured very deep,” Barak Bachar summed up the game. “In the first half we were in Maccabi’s area a few times. In the second half I was pleased with the way we played after the goal and we almost came away with a win.
 
“Maccabi was not threatening at all after they went up 1-0. I’m happy we brought back some pride after last week [the 3-1 loss to Beer Sheva]. It’s important to show we can rely on the players we have.”
 
“Every goal I score excites me so after a complex spell I had I am just delighted to score,” Zahavi said after the game. “The only shame is that it didn’t give us 3 points like last week. I believe in the team and believe in us. I take the positive things from tonight and the less positive ones I put aside.”
 
 Hapoel Beer Sheva beat Beitar Jerusalem 3-1 on the back of two goals deep into injury time in the second half. The Southern Reds’ lead courtesy of Kings Kangwa’s 19th minute opening goal was quickly eliminated in the 30th minute when Mayron George put the visitors on the board. Although Adi Yona was sent off for the game after a reckless tackle in the 43rd minute, the home team was unable to capitalize on the advantage until deep into injury time, with Miguel Vítor and Paul Garita ensuring that Beer Sheva did not drop points any points in the tight title race.
 
In the first game of the evening, Maccabi Netanya and Hapoel Haifa played a 2-2 draw at Miriam Stadium in Netanya. The home side was down to 10 men after Venezuelan import Freddy Vargas was sent off after 38 minutes, however this didn’t stop them going up 2-0 after 54minutes, with Rotem Keller adding to Maor Levi’s 41st-minute goal. But the Reds from up North scored two goals in quick succession, with substitute Yonatan Ferber scoring from outside the box in the 68th minute and then Javon East added the equalizer in the 71st minute after deflecting another Ferber attempt.
 
With six games to go this season, Beer Sheva and Maccabi are on equal points at the top of table with 67, however Beer Sheva is ahead on goal difference. Maccabi Haifa is 15 points behind on 52 – which is too much ground to make up – with Beitar sitting on 50 points, Hapoel Haifa on 45 points and Maccabi Netanya on 38 points.
 
Next week Hapoel Haifa hosts Hapoel Beer Sheva (20:30 on Saturday night), Maccabi Haifa hosts Maccabi Netanya (20:15 on Sunday night) and Beitar Jerusalem hosts Maccabi Tel Aivv (20:30 on Monday night).