In the Liga Leumit game on 24 September 2026, Hapoel Rishon LeZion beat Maccabi Ahi Nazareth 1:0. Match numbers: shots on target 3:0, corners 5:3.
Match report
Hapoel Rishon Le-Zion edged past Maccabi Ahi Nazaret 1-0 in the seventh round of the Liga Leumit on Thursday. The result leaves the hosts third with 13 points after six games, while the visitors drop to twelfth with just seven points. To be fair, the match itself was not a showcase of attacking intent.
Y. Balay secured all three points for his side with an eighth-minute goal in the second half. Before that, the game had been defined by a missed penalty in the fourteenth minute, which kept the scoreline level and gave the away side a chance to believe. By then, the home team had already started to look more dangerous.
The statistics tell the story of a one-sided affair that did not reflect in the scoreline. Hapoel Rishon held 57 per cent possession and registered eight shots off target alongside three on target. Maccabi Ahi Nazaret managed six shots off target but failed to hit the target once, a fact that explains why they left empty-handed.
Both sides received two yellow cards, but no red cards were issued, so the game remained at full strength for ninety minutes. The home team completed 84 attacks compared to 63 for the visitors, and took five corners to three. These numbers suggest Hapoel Rishon controlled the tempo, even if they struggled to convert pressure into clear chances.
For the hosts, the win maintains their position in the upper half of the table and extends a run of positive results. They have not lost since their opening match and now sit four points clear of the teams immediately below them. The away side, meanwhile, remains in the lower half and faces a difficult run of fixtures ahead.
