Maccahi Haifa secured a hard-fought 3:2 victory over Ironi Tiberias in the fifth round of the Ligat ha-Al on Saturday evening. The hosts took an early lead through Andrija Novakovich, only for the visitors to respond with two penalties from Ghanam Case to take a 2:1 advantage at the break. Kenji Gorre and Novakovich struck twice in the second half to turn the match on its head.
Novakovich opened the scoring in the sixth minute, a clinical finish that set the tone for Maccahi's approach. Case levelled in the 28th minute before Daniel Joulani won a penalty from VAR in the 55th minute, which Case converted to give Ironi the lead. Gorre pulled one back from the spot in the 63rd minute, and Novakovich restored the hosts' advantage with his second goal in the 69th minute.
The match saw several substitutions as the game opened up. Ironi brought on Chris Kouakou in the 38th minute, while Maccahi made three changes in quick succession in the 73rd minute, including removing Gorre after his penalty strike. More changes followed in the 77th and 84th minutes as both managers sought to see out the result.
Maccahi dominated possession with 63 per cent of the ball and created more chances, registering 3.07 expected goals compared to Ironi's 1.93. The hosts registered 16 shots to their opponents' eight, though their accuracy was just 29 per cent. Ironi were more efficient on target, hitting 50 per cent of their shots, but could not convert their opportunities into a higher return.
The result keeps Maccahi in second place with 12 points from five games, while Ironi remain in 14th on just one point. The hosts have won four of their five matches so far, with only a defeat to Maccahi Tel Aviv spoiling their start. Ironi's form has been inconsistent, with two wins, one draw, and two defeats across the opening round of fixtures.
