Hapoel Tel Aviv Beats Maccabi 3-2 to Win Toto Cup

Hapoel Tel Aviv won the top-flight Toto Cup on Thursday evening, beating city rival Maccabi Tel Aviv 3-2 at Bloomfield Stadium in Jaffa. The victory secured Hapoel's first title in the competition's top-division edition since 2002. It was also the first Tel Aviv derby contested in a Toto Cup final. Roi Elkokin put Hapoel ahead in the 18th minute. Omri Altman and Daniel Dapaah added second-half goals to make it 3-0 before Dor Peretz scored twice late for Maccabi. The official match record lists Peretz's goals in the 89th and 90th minutes, leaving Maccabi one goal short at the end. Hapoel had reached the final through two late comebacks. Against Beitar Jerusalem in the quarterfinal on July 18, Dapaah equalized in the seventh minute of stoppage time to make it 2-2. Goalkeeper Asaf Tzur then saved three penalties as Hapoel won the shootout 3-1. In the August 16 semifinal, Dapaah scored twice in stoppage time to overturn a deficit and beat Kiryat Shmona 2-1. The result reversed Hapoel's experience in the previous year's final, when Beitar Jerusalem won 2-1 in October 2025. Hapoel's earlier top-flight Toto Cup triumph came with a 4-2 victory over Ashdod in 2002. The club also won the second-division Toto Cup in 2024, beating Hapoel Nof HaGalil 2-0.