There’s nothing like a Derby. Whether it’s Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Petach Tikva or Haifa, the fans and players are always into enthralled by the opportunity to be the king of the city.

The Haifa Derby always seems to be one of the great fixtures on the calendar especially when Maccabi is hosting because Sammy Ofer stadium will be packed, sold out with fans hanging from the rafters to see who which side of the city with earn bragging rights.

The last time the teams met back in September saw the greens and reds split the points in a 1-1 draw, however, the match before that was one of the most lopsided Derbies in the series history with Hapoel spanking Maccabi 5-1 as Javon East scored a hat-trick. What made it worse was the fact that this was a Maccabi home game as the majority of fans in the stands had to sit and suffer through one of the clubs lowest points in history.

Maccabi began the game on fire looking to ensure that there would be no repeat of last May’s Derby as Eitan Azoulay’s chance was caught by Carmel reds keeper Benjamin Mancini while Kenny Saief’s header went over the bar and Dolev Haziza’s attempt wildly missed the target.

The last time Hapoel had won a derby by 4+ goals was back in the 1950’s when they were by far the more dominant team. But over the years, Maccabi became the team to beat and the ones who ruled the city of Haifa. In fact, in the league derby, the Greens hold a 56-34 advantage with 33 draws being played between the two sides. Overall, counting the other competitions such as Cup and the like, Maccabi has a 82-45 advantage with 43 draws while scoring a total of 264 goals to 192.

But don’t tell that to Hapoel of this season as they started to push a bit as Sana’s blistering shot was saved by Georgiy Yermakov and Regis Ndo’s attempt off the rebound just missed the goal. However, just as it looked like the Reds were getting right into the game, Sana who had just missed a chance to out Hapoel ahead committed a reckless foul on Jelle Battaile that earned him a red card and left his team with ten-men in the 30th minute.

Going back to last season’s 5-1 Derby, that was the straw that broke the camel’s back as head Coach Barak Bachar left his post and just recently returned after Argentine Diego Flores who was hired over the summer was let go. So, there’s no question that Bachar had that 5-1 drubbing on his mind as he prepared for this Derby, his first since that miserable game in May of 2025. Now with an extra man there was no question that Bachar and Maccabi would try to go for the kill.

And that’s exactly what happened just minutes later as Eitan Azoulay polished off a nice passing play that began with Haziza to Bataille and then to Azoulay who sent a screamer from 20 meters past a helpless Mancini for a 1-0 Green lead in the 35th minute. Maccabi continued to apply pressure as they looked to double their advantage ahead of the break and after a red card was called off by the VAR to Lisav Eissat, the greens did exactly that as Guy Melamed scored against his former club to head into halftime with a 2-0 lead.

It took time for Bachar to get the team playing the way he wanted to see them after having had so many issues under Flores, but over the past month it’s clear that Bachar’s fingerprints are starting to make their mark all over Maccabi Haifa just as he did during the club’s heyday when they went to the Champions League group stage back in 2022-23. That team was loaded with superstars while this one is still trying to find its footing but they have definitely started to turn the corner and while they may not win the championship they will qualify for Europe which just a couple of months ago was in doubt.

Melamed came out of the break looking for a second goal as his liner just went to the left of the goal while Bachar made wholesale changes to freshen up his lineup as the greens hunted for a third goal. Trivante Stewart and Azoulay both had chances to add a marker but Mancini made a pair of terrific saves as Maccabi took control of the game and lulled it through to the final whistle as the city of Haifa was painted Green with the 2-0 win.

It may not have been one of the Haifa Derbies that will go down in the annals of history but it did offer some sense of closure for Maccabi after what they went through last May and as the continue to climb the standings. However, in soccer there’s always a next game coming up and that’s going to be a trip south to Hapoel Beer Sheva where they will play Bachar’s former side which will be followed up by a home date with Maccabi Tel Aviv. It never gets easier, but for a few days the green fans can relish on victory knowing that the are once again the kings of Haifa.