Beitar Jerusalem squeaked by Bnei Sakhnin 2-1 as Adi Yona scored a brace including the winning goal in the 94th minute to take the 3-points and keep pace with table leaders Hapoel Beer Sheva.

Beitar had the first chance of the game when Yarden Cohen sent Timoti Muzie a perfect ball but his header just went wide right of the goal while Sakhnin’s Alon Azugi provided Ahmed Salman an opportunity right in front of the net but keeper Miguel Silva made the alert save. However, the duo of Azugi and Salman weren’t quite finished as the latter clicked the ball into the back of the goal to give the visitors a shock 1-0 lead in the 14th minute.

Adi Yona with a chance from the top of the box curled the ball over Muhamed Abu Nil’s goal, but Yarden Shua gave Yona an opportunity to make up for his near miss and this time the ball went right into the net to knot the match up at 1-1 in the 22nd minute. A nifty passing play almost led to a goal, but Abu Nil just pawed away Johnbosco Kalu’s attempt while Yarden Cohen’s scorcher was pushed over the bar as the sides went into the break even at 1-1.

Beitar began to press for a go-ahead goal from the outset of the second half and almost found it but Kalu’s header was easily saved by Abu Nil while at the other end while Yona’s attempt from right at the top of the box went out. Omer Atzily came on for Muzie in the 58th minute and immediately tried to impact the game as his screamer was just tipped over the goal to keep the score as is.

Atzily came flying in from the right side but his left footed stunner missed the target, while he then fed Kalu but the striker put the ball right into Abu Nil’s hands. The yellow-and-black kept pushing as the pitch was tilted one way as Kalu’s shot was saved by Abu Nil while the rebound attempt by Avi Ben Shimol was also taken care of by the keeper as Beitar kept pushing hard for the winner.

As the match hit second half injury time, Atzily was able to get the ball to Yona who turned and beat Abu Nil to give Beitar the 2-1 victory to send the faithful home full of joy and remain 5-points back of first place Hapoel Beer Sheva.

Barak Itzhaki “We had a tough time breaking their defense down but we had so many chances that we rightfully scored and took the win. We had to make sure that we knew how to not lose games that last season we did and a draw is better than nothing, but at Teddy Stadium we want to make sure we get the best result that we can. We showed a lot of character and we didn’t stop attacking as the fans pushed us and we were able to come away with the victory.”

Itzhaki also commented on Adi Yona’s development, “I really believe in Adi and I’m giving him the chance to play and he has come in with a lot of pressure and expectations. He’s been able to score and he was also able to deal with the tough time he had and I’ve seen his improvement over the period he’s been with us. Goal scoring is what he needed to work on and he’s done that which we can all see.”

Sharon Mimer reflected on the loss, “We felt the pressure as the game went on especially when Beitar made their substitutions. We needed to hang on for a few more minutes to leave here with a point and the result is painful. But we will walk out of here with our heads held high.”

Adi Yona spoke about his brace and the win, “I can’t even describe how I feel, I’m like a little boy at this moment and I’m so happy. We all were in this game to win it and it was incredible to be able to score. I’m coming here every day to learn and continue to develop into the best version that I can. Scoring the winning goal in the 94th minute was like a dream come true.”

Muhamed Abu Nil spoke about his performance and the defeat, “It’s painful to lose this way and not having our fans here was tough as well. I’m very much enjoying playing here but of course I’m always looking to advance and continue to grow.”