Beitar Jerusalem wins on penalties against Hapoel Ramat Gan after a dramatic match

Beitar Jerusalem was hosted this evening in Rehovot by Hapoel Ramat Gan for a match in the ranking battles for 7th-8th places in the Toto Cup. The new stadium in Rehovot hosted the Jerusalemites for the first time, who brought about 3,000 fans with them. The 'Ordonim' on the other hand received support from about 1,000 fans, and together the crowds provided a great atmosphere in the stands. Beitar arrived after a disappointing elimination in Vienna on penalties, despite being the better side in both legs.

Luka Gadrani put Beitar Jerusalem up 1-0 as early as the 9th minute: an excellent corner kick by Tomer Yosefi from the right wing found Gadrani, who headed powerfully into the net. The vice-champion took advantage of the excellent pace at the start of the match to translate it into an early lead.

However, Ramat Gan responded quickly. David Asanka, the young talent who arrived last summer from Beitar Nordia, provided a great individual action: he passed several players, exchanged a successful one-two with Maxim Plakushchenko, and found himself alone against Yonatan Ozer. Asanka rolled a measured shot into the net to equalize in the 15th minute.

Beitar Jerusalem continued to play well and was rewarded in the 27th minute. A wonderful deep ball from Ziv Ben Shimol to Roi Elimelech left the defender alone against Raif. Elimelech shot, the goalkeeper parried poorly, and Asanka completed the task to make it 2-1 for Beitar.

Hapoel Ramat Gan punished Beitar Jerusalem for a defensive error. Tomer Yosefi passed the ball to Yonatan Ozer inside his own box, the goalkeeper hesitated, and Michko, the Serbian midfielder of Ramat Gan, slid and pushed the ball into the goal, equalizing to 2-2.

In the 62nd minute, Almog Cohen decided to protect the squad and substituted Luka Gadrani, Omer Atzili, and Tomer Yosefi. The drama peaked in the 91st minute when Moshe Semel scored a tremendous goal from outside the box, completing a huge turnaround for the 'Ordonim'.

Beitar Jerusalem did not say the last word.

In the 93rd minute, Naael Odeh whistled for a penalty in favor of Beitar after a foul by Jota, the Portuguese defender, who was sent off with a second yellow card. Ziv Ben Shimol missed the penalty, but Yan Shikut dived for the rebound and crossed to Nadav Markovich, who scored to send the game to penalties.

The game ended 3-3. For Beitar, this was the fourth penalty shootout in the last month. Ultimately, Beitar Jerusalem defeated Hapoel Ramat Gan in the shootout, scoring all their kicks to finish seventh in the Toto Cup.