{"id":178867,"date":"2026-05-13T12:50:46","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T12:50:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/?p=178867"},"modified":"2026-05-13T12:52:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T12:52:34","slug":"despite-draw-with-hapoel-beer-sheva-beitar-jerusalem-still-in-title-hunt-with-3-matchdays-to-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/en\/despite-draw-with-hapoel-beer-sheva-beitar-jerusalem-still-in-title-hunt-with-3-matchdays-to-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Despite draw with Hapoel Beer Sheva, Beitar Jerusalem still in title hunt with 3 Matchdays to go"},"content":{"rendered":"

When Yarden Shua\u2019s blistering strike went by Ofir Marciano and into the Hapoel Beer Sheva goal it was as if a huge weight was lifted off the entire Beitar Jerusalem fan base at Teddy Stadium. <\/p>\n

The yellow-and-black had finally taken a lead against the southern reds for the first time the entire season. In their fourth meeting of the campaign, Barak Itzhaki\u2019s squad had finally broken through and looked as if they would finally beat their rivals from the desert. <\/p>\n

It looked as if not only would they come out on top of Ron Kozuk\u2019s side but also move to the top of the table with three matchdays remaining. Destiny would be in their own hands and with a slightly easier schedule than Beer Sheva, the championship, the league title was going to be within reach.
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Yarden Shua – Photo credit: Yehuda Halickman<\/p><\/div>
\nHowever, the fairy tale ending above was not to be. <\/p>\n

Just a few minutes after the Beitar captain sent the supporters into ecstasy, a focused Beer Sheva knew exactly what to do as the always dangerous Kings Kangwa took advantage of an error by the ever steady Luka Gadrani in the box and knocked the ball into Miguel Silva\u2019s goal. The match was now tied while the tide quickly turned in favor of the visitors as they hunted the winner in front of 30,000 stunned and silent fans.<\/p>\n

A winner they would not find as Kozuk\u2019s charges would settle for a 1-1 draw, but with three games left Kozuk finds himself two-points ahead of his rivals and in control of the club\u2019s fate a year after having come up short to Maccabi Tel Aviv who captured the 2025 championship.
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Photo credit: Yehuda Halickman<\/p><\/div>
\nBeer Sheva should have probably never been in a deficit position in this clash as they were the better team for the opening 70 minutes of so. But Itzhaki saw his troops step on the gas and began to create chances and wonderful opportunities that they hadn\u2019t been able to over the first half and a half of the match.<\/p>\n

Prior to the match, Itzhaki was asked if he would look back to a specific coach that he had played under that would perhaps influence what he could potentially implement for this specific game. He said that he really didn\u2019t have something that popped to mind, however, watching how the matchup unfolded there was certainly a similarity to a game that Itzhaki himself had played in back a decade ago. <\/p>\n

Maccabi Tel Aviv had fallen to Viktoria Plzen 2-1 in the first leg of their third round Champions League qualification tie in which Itzhaki himself gave his side life with a late goal in the 79th minute thereby setting up an enticing return leg in Czechia for a trip to the playoff round. The head coach at the time, Slavisa Jokanovic managed a game plan that was absolutely magnificent as the yellow-and-blue were able to fend off one attack after the next. But when the match hit the 70th minute they made a couple of substitutes (including one that saw Itzhaki come off for Dor Micha, a player whom he coaches now) that led to an Eran Zahavi brace with his first via the penalty spot in the 76th minute and the second coming off a cheeky backheel in the 83rd to wrap up the tie.
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