Maccabi Kiryat Malakhi took all three points against Hapoel Azor in the South division of Liga Alef on Thursday. The hosts ran out 3-0 winners at home, with the final whistle bringing a comfortable margin that reflected their control of the key moments.
The opening goal came late in the second half when H. Yuval found the net in the 77th minute. That broke the deadlock and shifted the pressure onto the visitors, who had to chase the game from that point forward. Azor pushed for a reply but could not find the breakthrough.
S. Moshel doubled the lead in the 90th minute, putting the result beyond doubt just as the match was winding down. A third goal arrived in stoppage time at 90+7, though the scorer was not recorded. It was a clean sweep, and by then the visitors had little left to offer.
We had backed the hosts to win, and the result confirmed that call. Maccabi did not dominate possession but they struck when it mattered, which is often how these games are decided. To be fair, Hapoel created chances but failed to convert them when it counted.
The statistics tell a story of efficiency over volume. Maccabi registered 11 shots on target from 79 attacks, while their opponents managed only 3 on target despite 107 attacks. Possession sat at 46 per cent for the hosts against 54 for the visitors, but the shots on target ratio said everything about who was more dangerous.
The win moves Maccabi further away from the lower half, while Hapoel remain in 13th place. The hosts sit fifth with 35 points from 22 matches, and this result extends their momentum. Azor, with 23 points from 21 games, still have work to do to climb away from the drop zone.