Bnei Sakhnin produced a dramatic second-half fightback to defeat Hapoel Haifa 2-1 in the Toto Cup Ligat Al regular season third round on Friday evening. The visitors, who had lost four of their five previous matches, turned things around after going behind to A. Turgeman's 35th-minute strike. Two late goals in stoppage time secured all three points for the away side at a tense venue.
And here's the thing about this match — it was the cards that changed the game's shape. D. Zuparic went off with a red card in the 73rd minute, leaving Hapoel Haifa with ten men for the final quarter. Bnei Sakhnin also lost Sana to a second yellow in the 82nd, so the closing stages became a ten-man battle on both sides.
To be fair, Hapoel Haifa had built momentum coming into this fixture. They'd won four of their last five games, including victories over Ironi Tivериада and Maccabi Haifa. The hosts took the lead when Turgeman found the net in the 35th minute, and they controlled much of the middle period. Substitutions came thick and fast — R. Herman replaced in the 59th, L. Rotman in the 75th, and eventually Turgeman himself in the 89th.
By then the game had opened up. Bnei Sakhnin came alive after the break with two rapid responses. C. Keita came on in the 70th minute, and Carlitos followed in the 78th. The visitors struck twice in quick succession — first in the 90+5 minute, then again in the 90+7 minute. Both goals came after M. Cudjoe had picked up a yellow card in the 90+2 minute, though that booking didn't cause the goals directly.
The result ends a poor run for Bnei Sakhnin. Their last five matches had yielded just one win — a narrow 1-2 victory away at Ironi Tivериада on the 25th of July. Before that they'd suffered heavy defeats, including a 0-3 loss to Hapoel Haifa themselves in May. This performance, despite the red card, suggests something has shifted.
Hapoel Haifa's defeat cuts short their recent good form. They'd been building something, winning three and drawing two in their last five outings. The late collapse — conceding two goals in two minutes after a red card — will leave them reflecting on how quickly a comfortable position can disappear.