Maccabi Tel Aviv Extend Perfect Start With Derby Victory
Maccabi Tel Aviv kept their flawless record intact, beating local rivals Hapoel Tel Aviv 4-1 on Monday night in the Ligat HaAl. The hosts had already won three matches this season and now sit four points clear at the top of the table. To be fair, the result was never really in doubt after Hapoel went down to ten men just before half-time. Dor Peretz opened the scoring in the 19th minute, and Maccabi doubled their lead when Osher Davida headed in from close range. Stav Torial pulled one back for Hapoel in the 33rd minute, but then everything shifted. The visitors' midfielder earned a yellow card in the 37th minute, and moments later a VAR review cancelled Ester Sokler's goal for Maccabi. By then, Torial had been shown a second yellow and sent off.Maccabi made several changes after the break, bringing on Douglas Owusu and Emmanuel Boateng among others. Hisham Layous scored for Hapoel in the 88th minute, offering a brief flicker of hope, but Elad Madmon sealed the win with a late goal in the 90th minute plus five. The home side had a chance to extend their advantage when Sokler thought she had scored, but the goal was disallowed. And here's the thing about derby matches — the momentum swings are often decided by single moments rather than sustained pressure.
The statistics tell the full story. Maccabi controlled 62 per cent of possession and registered nine shots on target compared to Hapoel's four. The home side created four big chances while their opponents managed none. Expected goals stood at 2.66 for Maccabi against 0.52 for Hapoel — a reflection of the quality of opportunities each team produced.Maccabi now sit top of the table with 12 points from four games, having won all of them. Hapoel remain third with seven points after two wins, one draw and one defeat. The gap between the two sides has widened, and Maccabi's perfect start continues. They beat Hapoel Be'er Sheva 4-1 last week as well, so this was their second derby victory of the season already.