Hapoel Beer-Sheva defeated Hapoel Ramat-Gan 2:1 in the second round of the Ligat ha-Al on Friday. The visitors took the points despite a spirited resistance from the hosts. And here's the thing, the match was decided in the final quarter.
The hosts started brighter, earning a corner and testing the keeper. To be fair, they looked dangerous in transition. I was watching the offside line when the camera focused on the ball, remembering how they set up in the twentieth minute. M. Plakushchenko came on for them at the break, but the momentum shifted when A. Ohana scored in the 61st minute.
The visitors responded with precision. M. Hozez found the net in the 76th minute to turn the game around. By then, the hosts were scrambling to find an equaliser. E. Peretz added the final touch in stoppage time, curling home a winner just before the whistle.
The statistics tell a different story than the scoreline. The hosts dominated possession statistics relative to their output, with an expected goals figure of 2.18 compared to the visitors' 2.44. They created two big chances but failed to convert them after the opener. The visitors made more attacks, 111 to 87, and kept their shots on target.
The result moves Hapoel Beer-Sheva up to fifth place with three points from one game. Hapoel Ramat-Gan remain at the bottom of the table with zero points from two matches. It was a result that felt inevitable once the visitors settled into their rhythm.