Maccabi Tel Aviv pounded Maccabi Netanya 4-1 as a Dor Turgeman first half brace set the stage for the big yellow-and-blue win. Turgeman scored his first of the game via a 20th minute penalty after being pulled down in the box while Weslley Patati slotted home a spot kick a quarter hour later as a handball in the area helped the hosts double the advantage. Turgeman completed his brace in the 36th minute while Daniel Dapaah pulled a marker back for Netanya but Eran Zahavi polished off the win in the 83rd minute with a nice give and go with Dor Peretz.

“I am satisfied with the game and it is a good victory for us,” Maccabi Tel Aviv Head Coach Zarko Lazetic said. “I didn’t like the second half as much as we lost concentration and conceded, we need to improve on that. Nothing has changed from our previous games, only that we scored goals at the right time. There were problems in the previous two games and we were more concentrated. I am angry that we conceded in this game.”

“It was hard and frustrating to watch the loss,” Netanya bench boss Yossi Abuksis said. “I think we came into this game very short with a lack of players, especially in midfield where we lost the game because of our turnovers. We continued to fight in the second half and the players didn’t give up.”

Maccabi Haifa and Bnei Sakhnin played to a 1-1 draw as the two sides split the points at the Akko Stadium. Omer Dahan found the back of the goal for the Greens in the 33rd minute but Abdalla Halaihal scored 25 minutes later to tie the game up at 1-1 to take a point a piece.

“We were leading the game and we should have known how to stay in front,” Haifa coach Barak Bachar began. “We conceded a silly goal and every time we gain momentum, we just find wa at to stop playing properly. We had the result in our hands and there are no excuses. The field here is terrible, but we prepared accordingly and we knew that it should be enough.”

Sakhnin assistant coach Salach Hasarma spoke about the result, “I’m happy with how we looked and how we played, we made it very difficult for Maccabi Haifa, who are an excellent team. We were very committed and for that I have to praise the guys, they played an excellent game and I’m happy about that.“

Beitar Jerusalem blanked 10-man Kiryat Shemona 3-0 as the capital city squad took the 3-points at the Netanya Stadium. Sekou Bangoura was handed a red card for a reckless tackle in the 15th minute which left the hosts with 10-men for the balance of the match. Less than five minutes later Omer Atzily headed home the opening goal while Yarden Shua doubled the advantage via a penalty in the 50th minute. Adi Yona then polished of the victory in the 80th minute to give Barak Itzhaki’s side the 3-points.

“The game was one-sided and we controlled it from beginning to end,” Beitar Jerusalem Head Coach Barak Itzhaki said. “We had a lot of chances and we scored three goals, in fact we could have scored more. In the past when we had an extra player we had a tough time so drink but that wasn’t the case in this game. We controlled and moved the ball patiently from side to side, it was very important for us that we didn’t concede in this game.

“We worked very hard to get the club onto a new path,” Kiryat Shemona coach Shay Barda said. “Then what happens, we get a red card. It’s very hard when we are donating a weekly gift to the opposition. We need to know how to fix this and it’s my responsibility.”

Maccabi Petach Tikva downed Maccabi Bnei Reineh 2-1 as Vitalie Damascan scored a brace while the hosts lost Sambinha to a red card in the first half. Sambinha opened the scoring in the 27th minute but was then issued a red card for pulling down a Petach Tikva player from behind to leave Reineh with just ten men. Vitalie Damascan then found the back of the goal in the 38th minute to draw Tamir Luzon’s team even and then scored the go ahead goal twenty minutes later to take the victory.

“There’s nothing sweeter than a victory,” Luzon said. “Even though we were down 1-0, Reineh didn’t create too many chances and we were prepared for their long balls. At 1-1, we felt we were better, especially after they got a red card. We deserved this victory. As for Damascan, he’s a player every coach dreams of. Besides the goals, he also works non-stop. This isn’t just his victory, but the entire team’s.“

“This is never the result we want,” Reineh coach Sharon Mimer said. “The game was pretty even at first, we started off just fine and scored. Unfortunately, after the goal, one mistake of ours brought them back into the game, losing the ball unnecessarily, getting a red card and a goal straight after that. The game turned on us after the red card and the goal. It gave them confidence.”