Hapoel Tel Aviv Beats Maccabi Haifa 2–1 at Bloomfield

Hapoel Tel Aviv beat Maccabi Haifa 2–1 at Bloomfield Stadium on Monday, November 2, returning to second place in the Israeli Premier League. Elyaniv Barda’s side scored twice before halftime in the ninth-round match, while Barak Bakhar’s Haifa suffered a second successive defeat and stood fourth. Hapoel took the lead in the ninth minute when Fernand Mayembo’s header from a Roie Alkukin cross struck Tsunami and went in for an own goal. Just before halftime, Alkukin collected a misplaced pass from Ali Mohamed and shot from distance. The ball deflected off Daniel Dappa into Omri Glazer’s goal. Bruninho reduced the deficit after the interval, finishing an attack involving Ethan Azoulay and Eli Dasa. Barda said, “We are very pleased, mainly with the three points.” He described the match as a test of maturity after the cup final, praised his team’s first-half pressing and said tiredness affected its second half. Bakhar said Haifa deserved at least a draw and described the two conceded goals as unfortunate. Haifa also hit a post, while Tsunami cleared a Dappa attempt off the line. The win followed Hapoel’s 3–2 victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Toto Cup final on October 29, a separate competition and opponent. The club’s official match preview had set the league fixture for 20:30 at Bloomfield. Looking ahead, Bakhar identified the next league match against Maccabi Netanya as an opportunity to rebuild confidence.