Maccabi Tel Aviv will meet Maccabi Haifa next week for the season’s game without one of its most important players – Derrick Lucassen, who was sent off this evening (Monday) in Teddy, in the match against Beitar Jerusalem. The Dutch defender tripped Danilo Asperia in the box, Gal Leibovich in the 25th minute pointed to the white spot and then used VAR to determine that Lucassen’s offense warranted a red card. The yellows did manage to come back twice from a deficit thanks to a double by Eran Zahavi (40, 69), but for the big match against the greens next Monday they will arrive with an eight-year deficit points in the table.
Aitor Kranka summed up losing important points: “Playing for 70 minutes with ten players is difficult, the players were great. It was not an easy game, but I’m proud of them for the performance. I thank the crowd that came, without them we wouldn’t have been able to get a point. I don’t want to comment on Lucasan’s expulsion”.
On Oskar Gloch: “I don’t know him well enough yet, he is a huge talent, but he has to keep working. He has everything, but he will have to improve and with a player like Zahavi he can work well with him, it will help him a lot. He should take an example from him” .
Towards Maccabi Haifa next week: “The way we won last round, we can get three points against them. If we play the way I want, we will win again.”
On the signings: “We have great players. I said earlier, if someone arrives it will have to be a player who will improve us. I am very satisfied with our squad.”
Gal Leibovich explained the decision for the penalty and the sending off: “Regarding the double penalty – in the case of a penalty kick, if it is upper body contact without an attempt to touch the ball, there is room for a double penalty. There was cooperation with the linesman, we noticed Lucassen’s push on Asperia. This was Preventing an attack is promising, so we punished first with a yellow, but rightfully the VAR called me and we decided that the offense prevented a goal and got a red.”