Hapoel Haifa and Ironi Kiryat Shmona met in the fifth round of the Toto Cup Ligat Al on Saturday, and the visitors left with a 3-1 victory. The match opened with Hapoel holding possession comfortably, but Ironi Kiryat Shmona seized the initiative when L. Rotman found the net in the thirty-third minute. To be fair, the home side had not been outplayed so much as caught on the counter.
Things came to a head shortly before the interval when A. Ugarriza pulled one back for Hapoel in the sixty-fourth minute, but the reply was immediately answered by A. Sheratzky six minutes later. By then the momentum had shifted, and the visitors were rolling the dice with substitutions rather than sitting back. S. Sabah added a late fourth goal in stoppage time, ending a barren spell for his side.
The statistics tell a story Hapoel Haifa might prefer to forget. They registered 101 attacks against 89 for their opponents, yet managed only four shots on target compared to nine for Ironi Kiryat Shmona. Possession sat at 59 per cent for the hosts, but the figure meant little when chances went begging. The visitors converted their efficiency into three goals while the home side could only manage one.
Both managers made several changes during the second half, with Hapoel bringing on O. Benbenishti and R. Abdullazada among others. Ironi Kiryat Shmona responded with fresh legs from Y. Gonen and A. Sheratzky, who had already contributed a goal. The yellow cards accumulated throughout, with seven booked for the visitors and four for the hosts.
The result leaves Hapoel Haifa looking at a difficult run ahead after losing 2-1 to Bnei Sakhnin in their previous outing. Ironi Kiryat Shmona extend their unbeaten streak, having drawn 0-0 with Hapoel Haifa earlier this season. The scoreline suggests the visitors have found a way to control games when they need to, something the home side will want to address before the next fixture.