Maccabi Haifa Defeated 3:0 by Ironi Kiryat Shmona, Glazer and Tsounami Injured
Another defeat for Barak Bakhar's side in the Toto Cup: goals from Gabay (7), Sagna (22), and Shertzki (33) handed the 'Greens' their second consecutive loss. Goalkeeper Omri Glazer left the pitch in tears due to injury, and defender Tsounami was also substituted.
The disappointing start to the season for Maccabi Haifa continued on Tuesday evening, as the 'Greens' were defeated 3:0 by Ironi Kiryat Shmona in the second round of the Toto Cup. Following their derby loss to Hapoel Haifa, the team managed by Barak Bakhar and Lior Refaelov hoped to recover and calm the spirits, but they displayed another weak performance and were met with boos from the crowd.
Ironi Kiryat Shmona, playing their first match of the season, started stronger and took the lead in the 7th minute. Niv Gabay, currently on loan from Maccabi Haifa, intercepted the ball from Nigel Lonwijk, bypassed the defense, and beat Omri Glazer between his legs to make it 0:1.
The 'Greens'' troubles deepened in the 22nd minute when a collision between Tsounami and Glazer allowed Amadou Sagna to roll the ball into an empty net. Glazer was forced to leave the pitch in tears due to the injury sustained during the play, and Tsounami was also substituted.
In the 33rd minute, Ironi Kiryat Shmona capped off a dream first half. After Navot Ratner lost the ball near the box, Ariel Shertzki fired a magnificent 18-meter strike past substitute goalkeeper Glen Alvin to make it 0:3. Maccabi Haifa attempted to fight back, but apart from a few sparks from Bruninho, they struggled to threaten Daniel Tenenbaum's goal.
Lineups:
Maccabi Haifa: Omri Glazer (Glen Alvin, 27), Tsounami (Sean Goldberg, 27), Nigel Lonwijk (Jelle Bataille, 68), Noam Steifman, Itay Ehud, Ali Mohamed (Eitan Azoulay, 46), Navot Ratner, Bruninho, Kenji Gorre, Iyad Khalaili, Adam Grinberg (Guy Melamed, 80).
Ironi Kiryat Shmona: Daniel Tenenbaum, Ofir Benvenisti, Shai Ben David (Sean Edri, 70), Nemanja Ljubisavljević, Ovadia Darwish, Rufat Abdulzada, Shai Sabah (Yoav Karadi, 80), Alexander Sola, Amadou Sagna (Itzik Schulmeister, 80), Ariel Shertzki (Awajo Assefa, 70), Niv Gabay (Joan Halabi, 55).
