Hapoel Ra'anana claimed a 2:0 victory against Maccabi Ahi Nazareth in the opening fixture of the Liga Leumit regular season on Tuesday evening. The home side controlled proceedings from the first whistle and never looked back after an early penalty settled the contest.
And here's the thing about that opening goal — it came within two minutes of kick-off. P. Michael converted from the spot to give the hosts an immediate advantage. Maccabi Ahi Nazareth found themselves chasing the game before they had properly settled into their shapes.
The visitors pushed for a response, but the breakthrough came twice in quick succession after the break. A second goal arrived at the quarter-hour mark before W. B. Yakubu added a third just three minutes later. By then the match was effectively over, though the scoreboard read something different from the actual flow of play.
The statistics tell a curious story. Home attacks reached 102 against the visitors' 115, yet Hapoel Ra'anana registered eight shots on target compared to just two for Maccabi Ahi Nazareth. Possession was nearly even at 48 per cent to 52 per cent, but the quality of chances told a different tale entirely.
We had given this one to the home side at 45 per cent confidence, and it proved a reasonable assessment. The hosts looked sharper in the final third and never got going after that penalty. Maccabi Ahi Nazareth, meanwhile, found no answer to the pressure once they went behind.
The result leaves Hapoel Ra'anana fourth on six points from three games, while Maccabi Ahi Nazareth sit twelfth with three. Both sides have played the same number of matches, but the gap in results between them is now clear to see.