Hapoel Be'er-Sheva secured a straightforward win against Hapoel Petah-Tikva on Sunday evening, running out 2-0 winners in the Ligat HaAl's fourth round. The visitors took control early and never looked back, with the result moving them into fourth place while Petah-Tikva remain rooted to tenth on just three points. And here's the thing — you could see the gulf in quality from the opening exchanges, even before the goals arrived.
Mohamad Abu Rumi broke the deadlock in the 53rd minute, latching onto one of Be'er-Sheva's two big chances created throughout the match. Itay Hazut had been forced off at half-time for the visitors, but the substitution structure allowed them to maintain pressure. By then, Petah-Tikva's defence was already scrambling, their goalkeeper making zero saves while their defenders logged 18 clearances trying to keep things at bay.
Hamode Kanaan doubled the advantage four minutes later, and suddenly the match was beyond doubt. Be'er-Sheva had already made their first change at the interval, bringing on someone fresh while Petah-Tikva were still trying to find their rhythm. To be fair, the home side did create one big chance of their own, but with shots accuracy sitting at just 20 per cent, they simply couldn't test the opposition keeper properly.
The statistics told the story without needing much interpretation. Be'er-Sheva enjoyed 70 per cent possession and registered 93 attacks compared to Petah-Tikva's 56. They created twice the expected goals — 1.08 to 0.32 — and while their shot accuracy was equally modest at 18 per cent, they had the volume to make their chances count. Petah-Tikva managed only one shot on target all night, a figure that reflected their evening perfectly.
The result leaves Be'er-Sheva with seven points from four games, sitting comfortably above the mid-table pack. Petah-Tikva's three points from four outings means they cannot afford another slip, especially after losing three of their last four league matches. By then, the gap between these two sides in the table was going to widen further if things don't improve quickly for the home side.