For the second week in a row, the National League provides us with a full round on Friday (16:00) and this time too there will be new-old faces on the lines, as Elisha Levy makes a renewed debut as the coach of Bnei Yehuda in an away game against Hapoel Kfar Saba. The leader of Maccabi Petah Tikva is staying with Nes Ziona to meet M.S. Kfar Kasem, Maccabi Jaffa II host Hapoel Adumim Ashdod, while Hapoel Acre III will go to Rishon Lezion.
tax. Kfar Kasem – Maccabi Petah Tikva 3:0 (2nd half)
The relegation from the Premier League is far from impressive so far (except for the fourth in the derby), but nevertheless leads the national table by a gap of five points and presents the best attack in the league and the strongest defense (along with Ramat Hasharon). Kfar Kasem got their first win of the season last week, 1:3 in Ashdod in Tomer Kashtan’s return game and will now try to surprise the team they lost to three times in the 2019/20 season, but they are missing the retired stopper Doagi Male.
The guest did not wait long and already in the 3rd minute Tal Ben Haim overcame a defender and turned the ball beautifully into the far corner. In the 33rd minute, Arad Bar also came into action. The outstanding midfielder cut through the center into the box and kicked flat into the net – his fourth goal of the season.
Maccabi Jaffa – Hapoel Adumim Ashdod 1:2 (2nd half)
The prestigious victories over Hapoel Kfar Saba and Bnei Yehuda jumped the Ola up to second place and she will try to continue the streak even against the leader of the table who is having trouble closing the deficit. The loss to Kfar Kasem left Adumim Ashdod 11 points away from Hoof Mvittaim and David Rabivo’s task becomes more and more difficult, when in addition his team has not yet scored an away goal this season (0:0 in Nazareth and three consecutive losses). In the six meetings between the teams in League A South in recent years, Jaffa failed to win: three losses and three 1:1 results.
Josi Lufta showed great sharpness with two perfect finishes in front of the goalkeeper in the 12th and 25th minutes, and Jaffa took a double lead at a relatively early stage.
Hapoel Rishon Lezion – Hapoel Acre 2:0 (2nd half)
In both of its visits to Rishon Lezion last season, Hapoel Acre managed to win, and it will try to continue its momentum and establish itself at the top of the national team with the help of a fourth victory in a row. The Oranges won 0:2 in their last three home games, when they did not have a streak of four home victories since March-April 2011, in the promotion season to the Premier League. Acre is missing Guy Aviv and Gitti Sufir, who are expelled. Zahi Ahmed scored 0:1 for Acre in the 41st minute.
Hapoel Petah Tikva – Maccabi Ahi Nazareth 0:2 (2nd half)
The change of coaches did not help Maccabi Ahi Nazareth last week, when the 1:0 home loss to Hapoel Ramat Gan was the third in a row for the zero and the fifth of the season. They have beaten Hapoel Petah Tikva away only twice to date, although this has happened in recent years (1:2 in February 2019 and in September 2020). The host mainly relies on Idan Shemesh, who scored a double in 1:4 in Nof HaGalil and signed five league goals so far (and two more in the Toto Cup) and the striker did make it 0:1 in the 23rd minute with a nice bounce. Raz Stein doubled in the 43rd minute.
Hapoel Kfar Saba – Bnei Yehuda 0:1 (2nd half)
Elisha Levy’s comeback will be at the Levita Stadium, against a team he coached in three different terms and which he promoted from the national team in 2004/05. The veteran coach is actually returning to the second league after 15 years (since the promotion with Bnei Sakhnin) and hopes to get Bnei Yehuda back on track after four rounds without a win that led to the departure of Uri Gutman. The Oranges lost 1:0 to Hapoel Kfar Saba in the three clashes last season, but Omar Peretz’s team is also not in good momentum after two consecutive losses.
Kfar Saba controlled, was more dangerous and missed, but in the 33rd minute Elian Rouhana put an end to it with a strong kick from the box that determined 0:1 Green.
Hapoel Umm Al Fachem – Urban Tiberias 1:1 (2nd half)
Eliran Hodda’s team had the impressive result of the eighth round, when they defeated Hapoel Afula 1:5 despite playing a full half with 10 players. They will be missing the suspended Vicky Kahlon in the first meeting with Umm Al Fahm since the 2018/19 season, when they were defeated by 4:1 away and 5:0 at home in League A North. The host missed without a break against Maccabi Petah Tikva and recorded a debut loss under Adham Hadiya last week.
Solomon Daniel scored with a flat kick in the 11th minute and gave Faham an early lead.
Hapoel Afula – Hapoel Nof HaGilil 0:1 (2nd half)
Hapoel Afula scored 10 of her 11 points this season as the host, when in the previous round she played as a guest on her court and grabbed five from Tiberias. Shahar Wiesinger will hope to see a recovery on the part of his players, as Nof HaGalil also needs to correct the impression after the 4:1 home defeat to Hapoel Petah Tikva. In the 2020/21 Aliyah season, Nof HaGilil won both meetings, when the game was played outside and Hiv Habibullah starred with a hat trick in 4:3.
Hapoel Ramat Gan – Hapoel Nir Ramat Hasharon 0:1 (2nd half)
Dor Levy celebrated his first victory as a graduate coach in the previous cycle (0:1 in Nazareth) and now wants to lead Hapoel Ramat Gan to its first home victory since the beginning of April. In front of him stands one of the two best defenses in the league, which has not yet lost away from home this season. The three meetings between the teams last season were not decided, as were the last five that Hapoel Ramat Gan hosted. Its last home win was 0:2 in December 2015 and the last time Ramat Hasharon won away was in September 2016 (1:2).
Halofilo Pleiter, who scored the winning goal against Ahi Nazareth in the previous game, found the net in the 10th minute.
The 10th round games:
Urban Tiberias – M.S. Kafr Qasim
Hapoel Nof HaGilil – Hapoel Umm Al Fachem
Maccabi Ahi Nazareth – Hapoel Afula
Hapoel Nir Ramat Hasharon – Hapoel Petah Tikva
Hapoel Rishon Lezion – Hapoel Ramat Gan
Hapoel Acre – Bnei Yehuda
Hapoel Adumim Ashdod – Hapoel Kfar Saba
Maccabi Petah Tikva – Maccabi Kabilio Jaffa