Match Report
Hapoel Iksal went into the game 6th in the table on 43 points; Maccabi Ahi Nazareth sat 3rd on 45 — a 2-point gap. Hapoel Iksal's recent output lagged their position: 32nd on form over five rounds while 6th in the table. Against a league average of 1.1 goals per team per game, Hapoel Iksal ran at 1.4 scored and 1.4 conceded, Maccabi Ahi Nazareth at 0.71 and 2.29.
Maccabi Ahi Nazareth had not lost in 9 games, having scored in 7 consecutive games. The last-five ledger: Hapoel Iksal 6/15, Maccabi Ahi Nazareth 13/15.
The match was played at Afula Illit Stadium in Afula (capacity 12,000). Half-time and full-time told different stories: it was 0-0 at the break, before 1 more goal closed it at 1-0.