Maccabi Tel Aviv fans welcomed back one of their own in Eran Zahavi with PSV Eindhoven but it was his teammates who did the Yellow & Blue in as the sides drew 1-1 which was good enough for the Dutch squad to advance to the UEFA Conference League Round of 16 with a 2-1 score on aggregate. PSV downed Maccabi last week in Eindhoven last week by a 1-0 tally which made all the difference in punching their ticket to the next stage.

After an opening 85 minutes of goalless football, substitute Yorbe Vertessen broke the deadlock to give the visitors a 1-0 lead but Mladen Krstajic’s team came back five minutes later with a strike by Enric Saborit off of a free kick to draw the hosts even at 1-1. With Maccabi needing an additional goal to send the contest into extra-time the referee added 9 minutes but it was not to be as the Israeli team bowed out of continental football for the 2021/22 season.

The extended injury time was due to an eventful second half that saw both teams head to the dressing rooms after the hometown supporters threw one too many missiles onto the pitch halting the game and almost forcing the referees to abandon the match to the dismay of the over 28,000 in attendance.

The Yellow & Blue will now begin preparing for the balance of the Israeli League season with and upcoming match at Nof Galil as they close in on second place Hapoel Beer Sheva.

“We tried our best to win the game and you saw it all,” Krstajic said following the game. “I think we played a good game but I am a bit disappointed as we could have recorded a better result but I really can’t complain. I want to thank the guys for two terrific games.”

PSV’s Israeli star Eran Zahavi spoke about his feelings about the unconditional love he received from the fans, “This was one of the most emotional moments for me. I don’t take it for granted and I wanted to make sure to give as much love back to the fans. They really put on a show for me. It was strange for me to cross over onto the Maccabi side of the pitch to acknowledge the supporters and my teammates were in shock but I couldn’t refuse after the love they gave me.”

As the Maccabi fans chanted PSV striker Eran Zahavi’s name the minute he stepped foot onto the Bloomfield Stadium pitch upon his arrival it was as if the prodigal son had returned home to help lead his Dutch club to an unprecedented victory.

But it was the yellow-and-blue who created the first dangerous chance of the contest against the run of play as Stipe Perica sent Dan Bitton a magnificent pass but the latter nodded the ball but wide of the goal in 12th minute. The Dutch squad continued to control the pace of play as Maccabi keeper Daniel Peretz kept busy making one save after the next by parrying the ball or kicking it away with his feet.

The rare time a Maccabi counter attack took place it usually ended when one of the midfielders with the ball either Brandley Kuwas or Gaby Kanichowsky looked up like a lost puppy and couldn’t find anyone to send the ball to as first half ended goalless.

Whatever Maccabi head coach Mladen Krstajic told his players at halftime must of been worth its weight in gold as his team came out flying in the first minutes of the second half as Sheran Yeini sent Perica a perfect ball but he sent his effort off of the left post. Just as Maccabi continued to build up momentum, the referee suspended the match as yet another missile was thrown onto the pitch by the host fans.

With the players back in the dressing rooms, public address announcer Shay Sidi begged the supporters to stop and should it happen one more time the match would be aborted. One would have thought that the break would have slowed Maccabi down but Kuwas teamed up with Perica but once again the Croatian striker came up just short as the clash stayed deadlocked at 0-0.

Zahavi came off soon thereafter to the fans applause but the Israeli international was never quite in the game as emotions may have played a part in his quiet performance. However, it would be substitute Yorbe Vertessen that would finally break down Daniel Peretz to give PSV a 1-0 lead (2-0 aggregate) in the 85th minute.

In typical fashion, Krstajic had his substitutes waiting to go in as his side went down but Tal Ben Chaim, Eyal Golasa and Ofri Davidzada came on and gave the Yellow & Blue renewed energy as Kanichowsky’s free kick found it’s way to Enric Saborit who drew Maccabi even at 1-1 just as the 90th minute hit the clock. However, that would be as close as the Yellow & Blue would come as they crashed out of European play, leaving their fans with the thirst for more both from their own team and from Eran Zahavi’s potential return to Maccabi Tel Aviv.