Hapoel IBI Tel Aviv falls on penalties in the State Cup Round of 16 following a 1-1 deadlock after 120 minutes.
Setting aside the battle for the top of the league table, Hapoel turned its focus to the State Cup Round of 16 today, hosting the Tel Aviv Derby at a Bloomfield Stadium painted red.
Following a balanced, goalless first half, Hapoel found themselves trailing in the 50th minute. However, the deficit was short-lived; just three minutes later, a spectacular strike by Stav Turiel brought Hapoel back into the match, leveling the score at 1-1.
In the 65th minute, the opposition was reduced to ten men. Hapoel applied relentless pressure on the opponent's goal, continuing throughout extra time, but was unable to find the elusive winning goal.
The contest was ultimately decided from the penalty spot, ending 5-4 after six rounds of kicks.
Hapoel Lineup: Assaf Tzur, Marcus Coco (Amit Lemkin – 66), Fernand Mayembo {C}, Chico Alves, Ziv Morgan (Yazan Nassar – 89), Lucas Falcao (Ari Cohen – 105), Andrian Kraev, Roy Korine (Liran Rotman – 105), Stav Toriel (Roy Alkukin – 80), Loizos Loizou, Daniel Dapaa (Anas Mahamid – 80).
Match Officials: Refereed by Sapir Berman at Bloomfield Stadium.
Next Match: Hapoel’s next fixture will take place next Monday (Jan 19th), hosting Hapoel Be'er Sheva at Bloomfield Stadium as part of Matchday 19 of the Winner League. Kickoff is scheduled for 20:00.