Ashdod moved clear at the top of the Leumit table with a 3-1 victory over Ironi Modiin on Thursday evening. The visitors completed a clean sweep of seven points from seven after their seventh match of the regular season. It was a result that settled any doubt about who would finish first.
Ironi struck first through I. Hazut in the 42nd minute, catching Ashdod off-guard before the break. To be fair, the home side had been the more organised side for long stretches, but they could not hold their nerve when the visitors came at them. And here's the thing — one mistake ends it, and Ironi paid for it immediately after the interval.
S. Fadida levelled within seven minutes of the restart, and S. Mazal put Ashdod ahead a minute later. O. Hassan sealed it in the 69th minute with a finish that came after Ironi had exhausted themselves chasing the game. By then the hosts were running out of games, and there was nothing left in the tank.
The numbers told the same story. Ashdod held 62 per cent possession and registered 95 attacks compared to Ironi's 88, but it was the quality of chances that mattered. The visitors took ten shots with four on target, while Ironi managed five shots on target from ten attempts. Three yellow cards for the hosts spoke to a frustration that mounted as the game slipped away.
We had called for this outcome beforehand — an away win at 82 per cent confidence — and Ashdod delivered exactly that. They are unbeaten in five and now sit eight points clear of second place after six matches. Ironi remain 14th with five points, their three defeats in six games showing a pattern of collapse rather than competitiveness.
What stayed with me was the rhythm of those second-half goals. Three in 20 minutes changed everything, and you could see the home players looking at each other after the first one, wondering when the momentum would turn back their way. It never did.
