Maccabi Kfar Ata Biyalik secured a 3-1 victory over Maccabi Nudjat Ahmed in the North-2 section of Liga Alef on Tuesday evening. The hosts moved further clear of the relegation zone while the visitors slipped deeper into trouble.
And here's the thing about this fixture — it carried weight beyond the three points. Kfar Ata Biyalik had drawn 0-0 at the same ground back in February, and this time they took control. E. Ben Simon opened the scoring in the 55th minute, a moment that shifted the balance.
A. Agbaria doubled the lead six minutes later, and B. Shaban added a third in the 71st. M. Naser pulled one back for Nudjat Ahmed in the 88th, but by then the contest was effectively over.
The statistics tell their own story. Kfar Ata Biyalik dominated possession at 65 per cent and registered 105 attacks compared to 62 for the visitors. They registered five shots on target and six off, while Nudjat Ahmed managed six shots on target with none off target — a sign they were searching but finding little room to operate.
What matters more than the numbers is the position each side now occupies. Kfar Ata Biyalik sit third with 38 points from 22 games — ten wins, eight draws, four defeats. Nudjat Ahmed remain 14th with 17 points from 21 outings, their record of four wins, five draws and 12 losses growing more concerning.
The visitors will need to regroup quickly. They drew 0-0 at Kfar Ata Biyalik in February and lost 2-1 to Ironi Baka el-Garbiya in their most recent outing before that defeat to Tira. To be fair, they showed resilience against Maccabi Neve Shaanran earlier in the season, but consistency remains elusive.