Maccabi Tel Aviv paid for mistakes: "We can only blame ourselves"
The Yellows are deeply disappointed after scoring three goals against CSKA Sofia, only to be eliminated from the Europa League due to a direct defensive error. They now head to the Conference League playoffs. Socler will be fit for the Lugano match, and Camara will undergo an examination.
Great disappointment at Maccabi Tel Aviv following the elimination last night in Bulgaria against CSKA Sofia in the third qualifying round of the Europa League. After two years of playing in prestigious competitions at the Champions League level, Maccabi Tel Aviv will have to fight in the next two weeks against Swiss side FC Lugano to secure a place in the Conference League, the third most important competition in Europe.
The opponent awaiting Maccabi Tel Aviv may have drawn last night against a team from the Faroe Islands, but they currently rank first in the Swiss league with a 100 percent success rate. The hurdle is high, and it will not be simple for the Cup holder to pave its way to the Conference League.
"This is what we feared, to be honest," admitted a Maccabi Tel Aviv player. "We feared leaving with only compliments. After all, everyone estimated that the story ended with the loss last week in Batumi. It is not simple to come back from a three-goal deficit, and it was natural that they would not believe in us, but it was clear to us that we were coming to give everything on the grass in Sofia. It is so painful and frustrating to be eliminated in the end because of one goal. This is the reality. We paid a big price for our bad game in Georgia. Let's say that the less good team moved to the next round, but we can only blame ourselves."
Coach Kenny Miller worked with the players before the match on three key elements. The first was to instill the belief that the tie was not over. The second was to sharpen the focus on scoring goals, as the team created enough chances in the first leg without converting. The third element Miller emphasized was avoiding gifts to the opponent, as Maccabi Tel Aviv had been overly generous in the first leg.
The first two elements were implemented last night. Maccabi Tel Aviv started with full belief and scored three goals. However, the third element repeated itself. Just like in the first game, Maccabi Tel Aviv gave a very painful gift to CSKA Sofia.
Roy Revivo, who played a great attacking game, passed backward instead of clearing the ball. The ball reached Issouf Sissokho. Sissokho also played well, but his loss of the ball inside the box led to the decisive goal for CSKA Sofia. It was an unnecessary goal stemming from a direct error.
What was evident was Maccabi Tel Aviv's difficulty in maintaining a higher level than the opponent when making substitutions. At this stage, the club does not have strong enough substitutes, and this must be addressed. The club needs to be much more assertive regarding foreign players they do not need.
Ion Nicolaescu is still registered despite it being clear he will eventually be removed. Kervin Andrade is still registered and even came on as a substitute, despite a lack of real belief in him. Henry Addo is part of the club but is not in the rotation at all.
On the positive side, Osher Davida returned to form with two great assists. The first to Dor Peretz and the second to Aster Socler, who scored his debut goal for Maccabi Tel Aviv and looks like a promising striker. Hélio Varela, perhaps the standout of the match, was very active and energetic.
The team will have to check the injury of Ali Mohamed Camara, as his absence against FC Lugano would make it much harder for Maccabi Tel Aviv to pass the Swiss side. Socler was also substituted due to an injury, but it is minor and he will be ready for the game next Thursday.
