Match Report
On paper the standings were lopsided — Maccabi Tel Aviv 1st with 80 points, Hapoel Hadera 8th with 27, 53 apart. The last five rounds placed Hapoel Hadera no better than 17th for form, against 8th in the standings. Against a league average of 1.43 goals per team per game, Hapoel Hadera ran at 0.94 scored and 1.73 conceded, Maccabi Tel Aviv at 2.39 and 1.
The head-to-head ledger counts 6 games: 0 Hapoel Hadera wins, 4 for Maccabi Tel Aviv, 2 draws, at 3.33 goals per meeting. Home advantage has meant little here: 33% of the meetings went to the host. 67% of the meetings finished with three goals or more.
Afula Illit Stadium in Afula staged the fixture, a ground that holds 12,000. On the scoreboard, Hapoel Hadera led 2-1 at the break; 2 second-half goals set the final 2-3.
Goal scorers
Hapoel Hadera: Lisav Naif Eissat (13'), James Adeniyi (26') · Maccabi Tel Aviv: Osher Davida (35'), Dor Peretz (65'), Dor Turgeman (85')