Strong in the playoff fight. After four games without a win, MS Ashdod came up big in the important game against Maccabi Haifa and got three valuable points last night (Saturday) thanks to an impressive 1:3 victory in the blown-up YA Stadium over the champion. The big victory over the Greens leaves the team from the port city strong in the image The fight for entry into the top six.
“No one counted us out before the game,” said MS Ashdod, “I wish every day we would get one of the big ones, this is our most significant victory of the season and it comes at a critical moment, because a loss would have ended our dream of finishing in the playoffs. The players deserve to celebrate a day This victory is one because they gave everything, but the goal from tomorrow is to make a final push in the three games we have left and do everything to reach the top playoffs.”
The coach of the team, Ran Ben Shimon, actually went up against the champion with a line of four defensive players, with Gil Cohen functioning this time as a left defender. The coach admitted at the end that the playing style of line four is much more suitable for MS Ashdod. Ben Shimon made more changes, when Ebenezer Mamata returned from suspension after being kicked out of the lineup in the last match at Teddy due to being late for the bus, Shaliu HaRosh started in place of Gordan Saban and Michal Ohana who received the jersey of the lineup. On the other hand, Obeidah Khatab, David Kuperman and Roy Ben Shimon were not included in the 20.
The club was satisfied with Ben Shimon’s management of the game, who prepared his trainees excellently for the opponent’s style of play. The coach praised the game of the back, Tom Ben Zaken, Gil Cohen and with emphasis on the pair of brakes Timothy Avani and Nanad Svetkovic. The Serbian was particularly impressive against the attempts of Maccabi Haifa and showed once again that he belongs to the highest levels.
Speaking of Michael Ohana, the one who received the compliments above all is the midfielder who came at the end of the last window and scored a tremendous debut goal in the league in an Ashdod uniform: “Michael is a soccer star, he deserves this goal the most in the world and if he continues like this we will enjoy him a lot more,” said players in the team. Ohana was ineligible for more than 60 minutes, so he was replaced by Mogis Zakaria in the 55th minute.
In Ashdod, they were also pleased with the entry of Mogis Zakaria, who added a lot of physicality and knew how to keep the ball, as well as Yaakov Barihon, who again came off the bench and added punch to the bursting attacks, one of which in extra time closed the story with Ashdod’s third goal. Noor Sebag, who started the same move, also received praise from the Ashdod team.
In the port city, they were outraged at the refereeing team led by Yigal Fried and Gal Leibovitch, who approved Dia Saba’s narrow goal in the 50th minute, which was a clear standout, and were even more outraged at the referees’ union’s reaction to the decision. “We were amazed to read the embarrassing message of the referees’ union in response to Maccabi Haifa’s goal that was scored from a different position. This is nothing more than a sad joke,” they responded officially in Ashdod.
“Our recommendation to the management and the association, instead of considering not using the VAR system on certain fields as the referees’ union suggests, it would be appropriate not to use referees and assistant referees who were the only ones on and off the field who needed technological measures, the same measures that worked excellently this season in similar cases against Hapoel Tel Aviv and Maccabi Tel Aviv at the HA Stadium.
Michael Ohana who started for the first time in the team and even scored a debut goal, said at the end: “It’s been a very long time since I played football, whether it’s things that depend on me or less. I won’t enter the whole period now, but thank God I didn’t lose hope and continued to believe in myself. I work hard, believe in myself And God bless him and God bless you, they saw it. I am very connected to the team, the management, the people and this city. I grew up here for a long time and I am very happy to return to Ashdod.”
About the opportunity in the first team for the first time since his return, Ohana said: “Every opportunity I get, I will take it properly and try to prove myself. I am very happy that we achieved both our goals as a team and personally. I feel good and am now getting in shape. I started for the first time in the team And I hope to get in full game shape to help the team.”