Ashdod defeated Hapoel Herzliya 1-0 in the eighth round of the Liga Leumit, played on October 1st, 2026. The hosts sat on top of the table with 18 points from seven games, while the visitors languished in 11th place with eight points. The result kept Ashdod's perfect start intact, extending their winning run to eight matches across all competitions.
The decisive moment arrived at the 20-minute mark, when M. Grechkin found the back of the net. And here's the thing — it was the only shot on target that mattered. Ashdod landed two on goal, while Herzliya managed four, but the visitors could not convert. The stadium fell silent after the home side took the lead and never really recovered.
We had called for the hosts to win, with 73 per cent confidence, and the match delivered exactly that. To be fair, the confidence was not misplaced. Ashdod had won six of their previous seven league games, scoring 16 goals and conceding just five. Herzliya's three defeats in seven matches told a different story entirely.
The statistics told a familiar tale. Ashdod controlled 61 per cent of possession and launched 121 attacks compared to the visitors' 96. They earned five corners to three, but that margin meant little when the visitors had the edge in shots on target. The home side's discipline showed in two yellow cards and two offsides, while Herzliya received one yellow card and committed no offsides.
By then, the gap in the table had widened to ten points. Ashdod moved further away from any serious challenge, while Herzliya's mid-table ambitions looked increasingly distant. The clean-sheet run came to an end for the visitors, who had kept one in their last seven league outings. The hosts now held every card in their hands.
