Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv recorded another victory this afternoon at Bloomfield Stadium, beating Hapoel Jerusalem 3-1 as part of Matchday 23 of the Winner League. A brace for Toriel.
Hapoel arrived this afternoon at a Bloomfield Stadium painted entirely in red, ahead of an important home match against Hapoel Jerusalem, four rounds before the end of the regular season.
The Reds came into the clash riding a streak of four consecutive league wins, aiming to maintain their positive momentum.
Having secured their spot in the Upper Playoff in the previous round, Hapoel now strives to finish the regular season as strongly as possible and carry this momentum into the decisive stages.
Hapoel started the match with Stav Toriel and Doron Leidner, who returned to the lineup after a period of absence due to injuries.
From the very first minute, Hapoel controlled the game but struggled to generate quality scoring chances against the Jerusalem defense.
In the 42nd minute, Loizos Loizou was brought down in the box. Initially, referee Snir Levi did not point to the spot, but following VAR intervention, a justified penalty was awarded to Hapoel.
The team's top scorer, Stav Toriel, stepped up and converted precisely, netting his tenth league goal of the season. 1-0 to Hapoel.
Just three minutes later, an excellent throw-in by Marcus Coco reached the head of Andrian Kraev, who nodded it down to Toriel. The striker headed it in to complete a personal brace his second of the match and 11th league goal this season. 2-0 to Hapoel.
The second half followed a similar script; Hapoel controlled the tempo, yet it was the bottom-table rival that managed to narrow the deficit in the 70th minute to 2-1.
In the 88th minute, Hapoel sealed the deal with a third goal following a superb team move. Xande Silva started the play and passed to Loizou, who delivered an accurate cross to Emmanuel Boateng, who scored his debut goal in the Red uniform, setting the final score at 3-1.
At the final whistle, Hapoel records its fifth consecutive league victory.
The Reds climb to third place in the table with 44 points (in addition to two points deducted by the court) and a goal difference of 44:26 (+18).
Played for Hapoel: Assaf Tzur, Marcus Coco, Tal Archel, Chico Alves, Doron Leidner (Xande Silva – 63), Lucas Falcao, Andrian Kraev (Roei Alkukin – 90), Amit Lemkin, Stav Toriel (Roy Korine – 64), Loizos Loizou (Daniel Dappa – 90), Omri Altman (Emmanuel Boateng – 69).
Refereed by Snir Levi in front of 23,100 spectators at Bloomfield Stadium.
The next game for Hapoel will take place next Saturday (21/2), when they travel to Doha Stadium to meet Bnei Sakhnin as part of Matchday 24 of the Winner League. The match will kick off at 19:30.
What the Numbers Say
-
Hapoel records its 11th home victory in 11 league games played, with a goal difference of 25:6 (+19) – equaling the club record since the 1945/1946 season.
-
Stav Toriel reaches 27 league goals in the Hapoel uniform today, climbing to 37th place on Hapoel's all-time greatest scorers list (equaling Yossi Madar).
-
Hapoel's next league game will be its 2,500th match in all leagues played since 1928.
-
Hapoel recorded a victory in a top-flight league match on a Friday for the first time since November 4, 2005, when they beat Hapoel Kfar Saba 3-1, with a brace from Walid Badir and another goal from Baruch Dego.
-
Additionally, Hapoel's last league victory over Hapoel Jerusalem was recorded on March 5, 2022, when they won 1-0 at Teddy Stadium with a winning goal by striker Shlomi Azulay.
Event Log
Minute 29: Hapoel Tel Aviv won a free kick on the edge of the box, but Omri Altman's shot was stopped by the wall.
Minute 37: Amit Lemkin completed a one-two with Omri Altman, cut to the right and shot, but Tamir Haimovich was there to deflect the ball for a corner.
Minute 42: Goal! Hapoel Tel Aviv goes up to 1-0: Loizou was fouled in the box by John Otomao, and after a VAR check, Snir Levi whistled for a penalty. Stav Toriel stepped up to kick and converted from 11 meters without a problem.
Minute 45: Goal! Hapoel Tel Aviv doubles the lead to 2-0 within 3 minutes: An accurate throw-in by Marcus Coco reached the head of Andrian Kraev, who nodded it down to Toriel, who headed it inside to complete a great brace.
Minute 48: Marcus Coco shot from outside the box, but his ball flew past the frame and went out.
Minute 70: Hapoel concedes but still leads 2-1.
Minute 88: Goal! Hapoel Tel Aviv seals the deal with 3-1: Loizos Loizou delivered a wonderful cross into the center of the box, and all that was left for new signing Emmanuel Boateng to do was push the ball into the net, which he did.
