Despite draw with Hapoel Beersheba, Beitar Jerusalem still in title race

The visitors probably should never have found themselves trailing in the first place. Beersheba controlled much of the opening 70 minutes and dictated the pace of play, but Itzhaki’s side came alive late in the match and began creating the kinds of opportunities they had struggled to produce for most of the evening.

BEITAR JERUSALEM players are primed for a season-defining clash on Tuesday against Hapoel Beersheba at Teddy Stadium that could determine the title. (credit: YEHUDA HALICKMAN)

The game itself was rough and tumble, not necessarily the highest quality football of the season, but perhaps that was to be expected with teams playing every three to four days at this stage of the campaign. The level may have suffered, but every side in the championship playoff is dealing with the same physical and mental demands.

The match also took a toll physically. Beersheba lost Helder Lopes to injury barely a minute into the contest, forcing Matan Baltaxa into the game early. Beitar later suffered a blow of its own when Nana Antwi hobbled off and was replaced by Roie Elimelech, who had not featured in months. Both players were set to undergo MRI examinations, with initial assessments suggesting their seasons could potentially be over.

Beersheba created the first chances of the game through Muhamed Abu Romi, Amir Ganach, and Kangwa, while Beitar struggled to generate sustained pressure. Kangwa continued to threaten throughout the opening half, feeding Ganach for another chance while Ziv Ben Shimol and Omer Atzily came close for the hosts, but the sides went into halftime scoreless.

The Southern Reds continued to press after the break as Guy Mizrachi tested Silva, while Kangwa’s chip shot and another long-range effort kept Beitar pinned back. Itzhaki eventually introduced Timoti Muzie for an ineffective Yarin Levy, and slowly the momentum began to shift.

As Kozuk’s team continued pushing forward, Shua stole the ball at midfield and burst downfield before slipping a perfect pass to Atzily, who skied his effort over the bar. Moments later, Muzie forced Marciano into a save as Beitar suddenly found energy and belief.

Then came Shua’s moment of brilliance. Left unmarked at the top of the box, the Beitar captain took a marvelous pass and unleashed a rocket beyond Marciano to hand the hosts a 1-0 lead.

Kozuk immediately reacted with a triple substitution, introducing Miguel Vitor, Roie Levy, and Shai Elias, and the move paid off almost instantly with Kangwa’s equalizer.

Title race remains open heading into last week of season

As the clock ticked down, Beersheba pushed for all three points through a series of corner kicks, but neither side could find the winner as the title race remained wide open heading into the final week and a half of the season.

“We’re disappointed,” Itzhaki admitted afterward. “These were difficult halves from a football standpoint. It wasn’t a great football match, but there were chances for both sides. After we scored, we needed to know how to protect the lead. Obviously, we should have won; it would have given us a huge boost. In games like these, even when the football isn’t great, you need to know how to win. We were there, and we lost it.”

“At the end of the day, it’s a good result, especially after going behind,” Kozuk said. “It keeps things in our hands, and we’re grateful for that. The players raised their level after Beitar took the lead, and this was one heck of a battle. We played well. We came into a situation like this at Teddy Stadium with an amazing crowd and a huge responsibility on the players, and we showed our football, especially in the first half.”

Shua still believes Beitar can complete the job.

“We scored, and for the moment we were in first place, but there was a mistake on the pitch, and that was it,” the Beitar captain said. “It’s very difficult to play every few days, but everyone is in the same situation. I still believe that we will finish in first place.”

Marciano also praised his team’s mentality after conceding late.

“The match is ninety minutes long,” the Beersheba goalkeeper said. “We conceded late, but you could see our body language, and we felt that we could respond. We focused on ourselves and knew what we needed to do in that situation.”

Prior to the match, Itzhaki was asked whether there was a specific coach he had played under whose influence he might draw upon. While he said no particular memory came to mind, the way the match unfolded carried echoes of a famous European night from a decade ago.

Back in 2015, Maccabi Tel Aviv lost 2-1 to Viktoria Plzen in the first leg of a Champions League qualifier, with Itzhaki scoring late to keep hopes alive. In the return leg, Slavisa Jokanovic executed a masterful game plan as Maccabi absorbed pressure before making decisive substitutions around the 70th minute, eventually leading to an Eran Zahavi brace that turned the tie around.

This time, Itzhaki didn’t have a Zahavi available, but Shua’s goal certainly carried shades of the legendary striker. Unlike that night in Czechia, however, the lead did not hold.

The draw leaves the title race delicately poised heading into the final stretch. Beersheba will visit Hapoel Tel Aviv on Friday afternoon, while Beitar heads to Bloomfield Stadium on Saturday night to face Maccabi Tel Aviv. Afterward, Itzhaki’s side will travel to Petah Tikva, while Beersheba hosts Maccabi Tel Aviv at Turner Stadium before closing the season at home against Maccabi Haifa. Beitar, meanwhile, finishes the campaign at home against Elyaniv Barda’s Hapoel Tel Aviv.

There is also the looming Israel State Cup final between Beersheba and Maccabi Tel Aviv still waiting on the horizon, adding yet another layer of pressure and intrigue to a season that has already delivered drama nearly every week.

Kozuk knows better than anyone how difficult these closing stages can be after last season’s disappointment, and his squad now faces the challenge of balancing expectation with execution as the finish line approaches.

As thrilling as the title race has become, history is not on Beitar’s side. It’s extremely difficult to win a championship without beating your direct rival, and the Jerusalem club has taken just two points from a possible 12 against Beersheba this season.

Still, no one expected Beitar to be in the title hunt this late into the campaign. Three games remain, the gap is only two points, and the championship race will go right down to the wire.

Elsewhere around the league, Hapoel Tel Aviv edged Hapoel Petah Tikva 1-0 thanks to Mor Buskila’s 74th-minute winner, clinching European qualification for next season.

“This is a step along the way,” Hapoel Tel Aviv coach Elyaniv Barda said. “Our ambitions don’t stop. We want to bring this club back to its glory days. To secure European qualification with three rounds still to go is an excellent achievement.”

Maccabi Tel Aviv cruised past Maccabi Haifa 3-0 in the Israeli Classico as Sagiv Yehezkel, Dor Peretz, and Ido Shahar all scored in the first half to keep the yellow-and-blue firmly in the title picture as well.

“The first half was excellent,” interim coach Kenny Miller said. “We played bravely and got back to ourselves after the derby. At big clubs, you always have to press and always look for the next goal.”
Barak Bachar did not mince words after the defeat.

“We were soft,” the Maccabi Haifa coach admitted. “We could have conceded five or six goals in the first half.”

Hapoel Jerusalem secured its Premier League status for next season with a 1-0 win over Ashdod SC thanks to Matan Hozez’s goal, a result that simultaneously relegated the port-city side.

“This was the kind of match I expected, a battle until the very end,” Hapoel Jerusalem coach Lior Zada said. “Everyone showed commitment and gave everything.”

Elsewhere, Maccabi Netanya and Hapoel Haifa drew 1-1, Ironi Tiberias defeated Maccabi Bnei Reineh 1-0, while Kiryat Shmona thrashed Bnei Sakhnin 4-0 behind goals from Joan Halabi, Adrian Ugarriza, Yair Mordechai and Ori Shnaper.

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