Bnei Sakhnin edged past Hapoel Petah-Tikva 1:0 in the 13th Place Final of the Toto Cup Ligaat Al on Friday evening. The visit from Petah-Tikva brought plenty of possession and pressure, yet it was the home side who took their moment. M. Cudjoe's 50th-minute goal proved decisive, and it held up against sustained pressure in the closing stages.
By then, the match had already seen its share of discipline issues. Y. Nassar picked up a yellow card at 35 minutes, followed shortly by a second booking at 36 — though the recipient wasn't named in the records. Neither side saw a red, but five yellows in total peppered the contest, suggesting nerves on both benches.
And here's the thing about the second half: Hapoel threw bodies forward. Eight substitutions were made across both sides between the 46th and 78th minutes, with Bnei Sakhnin bringing on Sana, Cle, B. Amian, F. Rivollier, B. Khuri, D. Cavare, O. Dgani, and removing Cudjoe himself at 65. Petah-Tikva's changes came in waves, but the game had already tilted.
The statistics tell a familiar story. Hapoel Petah-Tikva dominated possession at 57 per cent and registered 92 attacks compared to 72, yet their shots on target totalled just two against the home side's five. They had more chances on paper, but Bnei Sakhnin kept their side in it — and when one chance came, they took it.
For Bnei Sakhnin, this result follows a difficult run of form. They had lost their last two league matches — 1:0 defeats to Maccabi Haifa and Ironi Kiryat Shmona — before beating Hapoel Haifa 2:1 earlier in August. A win here at least halts the slide, even if the margin was razor-thin.
Hapoel Petah-Tikva, meanwhile, continue to search for consistency. Their last five results show only one victory — a 1:0 win over Maccabi Petah-Tikva — and they arrived at this final having lost three of their previous four outings. The scoreline doesn't flatter either side, but it reflects a game decided by moments rather than dominance.