Maccabi Netanya and Bnei Sakhnin played out a 0:0 draw in the opening round of the Ligat HaAl on 24 August 2026. The hosts dominated possession but could not find a way past a disciplined defence. To be fair, the visitors had few chances of their own. The result leaves both sides with a single point after one game.
And here's the thing — the first yellow cards came together in the twenty-first minute. M. Levi and B. Zaarura went into the book at the same time, then Y. Abukasis followed at twenty-eight and K. Jaber at forty. By then the match had settled into a rhythm of territorial control rather than genuine penetration.
Netanya made their substitutions in quick succession. D. Haziza and B. Khuri were brought on at sixty-one, followed by K. Jaber and M. Levi at sixty-two. A. Ouattara went off at sixty-nine, and the final changes came at seventy-seven and eighty-four, when I. Hajaj, M. Sheikh Yosef, M. Cudjoe, A. Karadi and O. Bilu were involved.
The statistics tell one story while the scoreboard tells another. Netanya held seventy per cent of possession and registered five shots on target from five off target, creating two big chances and generating 1.68 expected goals. Bnei Sakhnin managed just one shot on target from five off target, with 0.17 expected goals. The hosts won sixteen of their twenty-seven aerial duels; the visitors won eleven.
What matters more than the numbers is what this means for the season. Netanya sit fourth with four points from two games — one win, one draw. Bnei Sakhnin are ninth with one point from two games — one win, one loss. Neither side has lost yet, but the table goes out of the window in these games. The opening round is always about finding your feet.