Maccabi Bnei Rayina secured a comfortable 4:2 win against Hapoel Afula in the Liga Leumit's fifth round of matches on Thursday evening. The home side took all three points at their own ground, moving into a more comfortable position in the standings after a mixed start to the campaign.
N. Shemesh opened the scoring in the tenth minute, giving Maccabi Bnei Rayina an early advantage. Hapoel Afula responded well and equalised through E. Elimelech just before the half-hour mark, making it 1:1 at that stage. To be fair, the opening exchanges suggested a tight encounter.
And here's the thing — O. Barzilay changed the game completely. He struck in the forty-first minute to restore the home lead, then added two more goals in the second half. By then the match was slipping away from the visitors, with Barzilay netting in the sixty-eighth and seventy-eighth minutes to finish with a hat-trick.
The visitors' hopes faded further when both sides received red cards late on. One player was sent off at minute unknown, followed by M. Adams in the eighty-eighth minute. Despite being down to ten men, Hapoel Afula snatched a consolation goal through M. Shaker in stoppage time, but it was too little, too late.
The statistics tell a story of dominance. Maccabi Bnei Rayina held 55 per cent possession and registered 66 attacks compared to the visitors' 42. They took 22 shots in total, with seven on target, while Hapoel Afula managed five shots on target from ten attempts. The home side also won more throw-ins and corners, controlling much of the territory.
The result shifts the table dynamics considerably. Maccabi Bnei Rayina move up to seventh place with six points from four matches, while Hapoel Afula remain fifth with nine points despite the defeat. The visitors had been on a decent run, picking up three wins from their opening four games before this setback.
We had backed the home side before kickoff with high confidence, and the performance justified that assessment. Barzilay's clinical finishing and the team's control of possession were the difference, proving that the prediction held true throughout the ninety minutes.