Kafar-Kasim beat Hapoel Kfar-Sava 4-2 in the sixth round of Liga Leumit on Wednesday evening. The hosts climbed off the bottom of the table after a run that had seen them win just once in five games. And here's the thing — they didn't need to dominate possession to make it happen.
J. Cesar opened the scoring in the 21st minute, a moment that set the tone for how this match would unfold. Kafar-Kasim sat deep and soaked it up for the opening half, letting their opponents believe they had the game wrapped up. To be fair, Hapoel Kfar-Sava did control the ball, but control means little when you're not creating much.
The second half changed shape entirely. O. Roizman doubled the lead in the 67th minute before R. Harel pulled one back from the spot just four minutes later. Kafar-Kasim had been caught in possession and paid for it, but they responded quickly. L. Cohen equalised for the visitors from another penalty in the 77th minute, and suddenly it was anyone's game.
What followed was a burst of energy from the home side. They played the final quarter a man up in spirit if not on paper, and the breakthrough came in the 86th minute. The crowd could feel it — this wasn't going to slip away. By then, Hapoel Kfar-Sava had looked shell-shocked, their confidence evaporating with every passing minute.
The final goal landed in stoppage time, 90+5 minutes in, and that was the nail in the coffin. Kafar-Kasim had opened talks with their own belief, and now they had something to show for it. Six points from six games is a modest start, but after four defeats and two draws in their previous five, this felt like a turning point.
The statistics tell a story that doesn't quite match the result. Hapoel Kfar-Sava held 51 per cent possession and registered 82 attacks, yet they managed just three corners. Kafar-Kasim had 85 attacks and seven corners, but more importantly, they were more clinical. Ten shots on target for each side, but the home team found the net four times while their opponents could only muster two.
The table shift is minimal but meaningful. Kafar-Kasim move to 13th with four points, while Hapoel Kfar-Sava remain 10th on six. Neither side is breathing easy, but the home side at least have something to build on — a win that suggests they might finally have found their rhythm.