Hapoel, which returned to training over the weekend, fielded many young players and came back from a deficit to equalize with a goal from Roy Korine, but ultimately succumbed to a 3-2 defeat against Hapoel Haifa following a stoppage-time consolation goal by Ravid Olezki.
Hapoel Tel Aviv held a training match today against Hapoel Haifa, after the team returned to practice late last week in the shadow of the war and the security situation. The Reds took to the pitch without their foreign players, with the exception of captain Fernand Mayembo, and integrated quite a few young players.
The match opened with an early incident when, in the 3rd minute, an opposing player collided with goalkeeper Assaf Tzur. After prolonged medical treatment, Tzur was forced to come off, and in the 10th minute, Gad Amos entered in his place. In the 20th minute, Hapoel Haifa took the lead following an exchange of passes in the Hapoel box and a goal by Andrija Radulovic.
Hapoel tried to respond quickly. Daniel Dappa got a good opportunity from outside the box, but Yoav Gerafi made the save. Later, Yazan Nassar also found himself in a scoring position following a through ball from Stav Toriel, but he shot wide.
In the second half, Hapoel Tel Aviv managed to equalize when Roy Korine fired an accurate shot into the corner in the 55th minute, making it 1-1. As the match progressed, Hapoel Haifa regained the lead when Rotem Hatuel scored from the penalty spot following a foul in the box, and Roei Zikri added another goal to make it 3-1.
In stoppage time, the Reds managed to narrow the gap. A counterattack led by El Yam Kancepolsky reached Ofer Gelbard, who left it with a single touch for Ravid Olezki. The youth team player scored from close range to set the final result at 3-2 to Hapoel Haifa.