Maccabi Tel Aviv slipped by Hamrun Spartans 2-1 as Elad Madmon played hero once again with a stellar second half injury time goal in order put a smile of the yellow-and-blue fans following what was a very difficult first leg third round Europa League qualifying match in Malta. Head Coach Zarko Lazetic’s squad came out extremely flat over the course of the opening half of the contest and could barely string a pass or two together.

As the game moved into the second half things went from bad to worse when Maccabi midfielder Issouf Sissokho tripped up Saliou Thioune in the box allowing for Philippe Koffi to cleanly beat yellow-and-blue keeper Roi Mishpati from the penalty spot to give Spartans a shock 1-0 lead in the 71st minute. However, the stunning marker woke the Israeli side up as Roy Revivo hammered home a corner kick less than ten minutes. That set up the opportunity for Madmon to once again score a clutch goal just as he did a couple of weeks ago against Pafos as the striker took a terrific short pass from Dor Turgeman and slotted the ball home past a helpless Spartans keeper to give Maccabi the victory.

Next Wednesday in Serbia, which will be the yellow-and-blue’s home game due to the security situation, Lazetic’s squad will look to advance to the playoff round of the Europa League where the loser between Pafos and Dynamo Kyiv will be waiting following their Champions League third round tie.

“This was a very tough game,” a relieved Maccabi Tel Aviv Head Coach Zarko Lazetic began following the game. “In the previous three games we played much better and in the end we didn’t home take anything in terms of the results garnered, but this victory is very important and that’s the positive thing that has changed. I was very worried, especially in the second half, about how we looked with and without the ball, without ideas and without movement. Nothing was as we expected and after we conceded the goal we started playing, that’s the message we’re leaving with, to know how to keep going.”

“It’s very important that when we play like this, certainly in games like this, European games with all these conditions, to know how to win and that’s the only thing that matters right now. We had three good chances in the first 15 minutes and couldn’t convert them. After that, it got harder for us because the opponent started to believe in themselves and from there it got harder and harder. It’s a huge experience for us and I hope we can learn from this and become even better.”

Elad Madmon, who scored the winning goal, shared his thoughts after the final whistle, “It doesn’t really matter how we played, we came here to do a job. We didn’t do it all that well, and there’s a lot to improve. We will analyze everything and see how we can come more prepared for the next game. We haven’t advanced yet and we’ll have to give everything.”

Roy Revivo whose 79th minute goal canceled our Spartans Hamrun’s lead spoke of the team’s performance, “We need to come into the game more focused and more prepared right from the start. But that is football, sometimes you just need to find a way to win. It was a tough match in every sense of the word. Like I said, sometimes you just have to win against all odds and you must always believe, that’s the key.”

Both Beitar Jerusalem and Maccabi Haifa will be in UEFA Conference League third round qualifying action on Thursday night as the yellow-and-black will face Riga while the greens will take on Rokow as both sides look to produce positive results and have the opportunity to advance to the playoff round.