Kiryat Yam eased to a 2:6 victory over Maccabi Kabliyo Yaffo in the opening fixture of the Liga Leumit regular season on Tuesday. The visitors took control early and never looked back, turning what could have been a tight contest into a comprehensive statement of intent. For the hosts, it marked a third consecutive defeat to open their campaign.
S. Silla opened the scoring in the ninth minute, catching the defence unawares after a quick interchange. A. Cupido doubled the advantage just five minutes later, and by then the visitors had already set the tempo. D. Jan added a third before the break, and Cupido found the net again in stoppage time to complete his brace.
The second half brought no reprieve for the home side. L. Farada made it five in the forty-sixth minute, G. Abramov extended the lead in the fifty-seventh, and G. Itzhak put the result beyond doubt in the seventy-first. An eighth goal came in the eighty-ninth, though the scorer was not recorded. The hosts were caught in possession more times than they could count, and the visitors punished them from every opportunity.
The statistics tell a familiar story. Kiryat Yam registered 71 attacks to 53, with thirteen shots on target against six for the hosts. Possession sat at 54 per cent to 46, but the difference was never in doubt. The away side also earned seven corners to five, and their defensive discipline showed in just six yellow cards compared to one for the hosts.
Kiryat Yam move up to ninth in the table with three points from three games, while Maccabi Kabliyo Yaffo remain bottom of the standings after three losses and no points. The visitors ended a barren spell against top-flight opposition, having lost their last two meetings. The hosts will need to tighten things up quickly if they are to avoid a difficult season.