Seven rounds to go and the National Youth League continues to provide a lot of tension. The leader of the table, Hapoel Haifa, has not yet secured promotion to the Youth Premier League, but took a significant step there last weekend. The one who runs after her and will not give up very easily is Hapoel Nof Hagalil, which recently added Daniel Umansky to its ranks. Since this is a league of 15 teams, this coming weekend Hapoel Haifa will be the free team in the 24th round and therefore will not play. The one who can enjoy the moment is the Galilee landscape, which at the moment is only one point away from the first place. Hapoel Ruby Shapira Haifa won and left a chance to stay in the league. Maccabi Urban Kiryat Ata was in the free team this week and therefore did not play.
As part of the match between the Pardes Hanna Karkur Sports Club and the Bnei Baka union, a brawl took place between the players in a 1: 3 situation in favor of Baka. The latter was already involved in a brawl on the home field in front of Hapoel Herzliya, when the disciplinary court ruled against it by reducing the actual points (3). Last Friday, the two teams fighting for their lives at the bottom of the table met in Pardes Hanna and in the final minutes, before the whistle for the end of the match, Idan Kiberta and Omar Tzarfati who went berserk, saw the red card. Baka’s goalkeeper, Rasmi Gera, is also not without mistakes. The red was also pulled out towards him. In the 86th minute, with no choice, the referee whistled for the end, in light of the ugly incident between the players of the two teams and especially by Pardes Hanna Karkur. Meanwhile, tonight (18:00), Betar Tobruk will play against Maccabi Tzur Shalom. Tobruk has almost lost a real chance to qualify for the Youth Premier League, Tzur Shalom will look for points in order to survive in the burning bottom.
Ram Ben Michael’s team is so eager to reach the Youth Premier League next season. After only 5 minutes, Hapoel Haifa took the lead thanks to Jabier Bushnak. Not a minute passed and the same Bushnak doubled the result. It was not the day of Umm al-Fahm who recently played positive football and came back from the dead. A male Yarin was also honored by the duo. Ido Burj and Karam Hajazi completed the celebration. On the other hand, Ben Cohen did not contribute much to the game. In Haifa, they know that every little trip can raise Hapoel Nof Hagalil to first place. Unfortunately, this can already be realized next week, after Hapoel Haifa will be the free team in the 24th round and therefore will not play. Umm al-Fahm is 4 points away from relegation. Nothing unfinished for both clubs.
In a field that is not simple at all and in light of Hapoel Ixl’s situation in the table, Hapoel Nof Hagalil knew that a not easy game awaited them at all against a particularly stubborn opponent who could theoretically still remain in the league. On the verge of the first half, Roy Boligans made it 0-1. Six minutes into the second half, Roni Filichenko doubled the lead that was maintained until the end. The distance between the leader of the table, Hapoel Haifa, and Daniel Umansky’s team, stands at only one point, when next week, if all goes well, Hapoel Nof Hagalil will rise to first place at the expense of Hapoel Haifa.
A single goal by Erez Aliyan determined the outcome of the game against an opponent facing her in the underground battles. If there is a bright spot in the Hapoel Ruby Shapira Haifa football club, it is the youth team that is still in the picture of survival in the league, unlike the adult team that completed its relegation to the second division. Aliyan scored his first goal of the season in the game, after his last was in the Maccabi Haifa uniform, somewhere in the 2018/19 season, when he scored in early April 2019 against Hapoel Nir Ramat Hasharon. Not a simple victory at all against a particularly difficult team, a team that has many advantages in the center of the field, but the season has found itself at the bottom of the table.
In the other games, Hapoel Afula defeated Hapoel Herzliya 1: 2 with goals from Dylan Nunias Gomez and Ahmad Hamagena, who turned the score around, when from the 36th minute Herzliya took the lead thanks to the goal of the captain, Liav Shabbat. Maccabi Achi Nazareth and Hapoel Acre parted ways 0-0 without any special events. On the lines one could find Njuan Grave on one side and Nissim Edri on the other. Past players who added a lot of color to Israeli football.