Hapoel Kfar Sava beat Maccabi Kiryat Gat 2-0 in the Liga Leumit regular season round five on Thursday evening. The hosts took all three points at home, ending a run that had left them bottom of the table with just three points from four fixtures. Maccabi Kiryat Gat, sitting ninth with five points, came looking for victory and found none.
R. Harel opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the ninth minute. He converted after a stoppage in play, and the home side led at the break. R. Buganim doubled the advantage in the thirtieth minute, capitalising on a moment of hesitation from the visitors' defence. The home side never got going after that, while the away team looked uncomfortable on the counter.
By then the match had settled into a pattern the visitors failed to break. Hapoel Kfar Sava registered 74 attacks against 75 for Maccabi Kiryat Gat, but the difference lay in efficiency. The hosts recorded eight shots on target with ten off target, while the visitors managed just three on target from twelve attempts off target. Possession split nearly evenly at 48 per cent to 52 per cent.
The high line was picked apart when it mattered. Hapoel Kfar Sava committed no offsides and played with discipline, while Maccabi Kiryat Gat collected three yellow cards to two for the hosts. The away side pushed forward in search of an equaliser but found too little space in the final third. The home goalkeeper kept his side in it when needed.
We had backed the visitors to win at 63 per cent confidence, but the match went another way. It wasn't a matter of effort so much as execution under pressure. Maccabi Kiryat Gat created chances but couldn't finish them, while Hapoel Kfar Sava made their moments count.
The result leaves Hapoel Kfar Sava still fifteenth with three points after five games. Maccabi Kiryat Gat move to six points in ninth place, closing the gap slightly on the teams above them. The visitors had been on a steady run of draws and narrow losses, but this one ended differently.