FC Hapoel Tel Aviv 0 – FC Maccabi Tel Aviv 0

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FC Maccabi Tel Aviv fullback OMER VERED, the former Israel U-21 international who spent all of last season out on loan to Ligat ha’Al club FC Hapoel Haifa, looks to settle the ball in front of the linesman and approaching FC Hapoel Tel Aviv midfielder ALROEY COHEN (11) during the Big Tel Aviv Derby match played behind closed doors at the virtually-empty Bloomfield Stadium.
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In a intra-city clash which permitted no spectators as a result of the ruckus and tumult created in the previous meeting, a pair of in-form shot-stoppers put on a spectacular show to insure that no goals would be allowed, either, as traditional rivals FC HAPOEL TEL AVIV and FC MACCABI TEL AVIV battled to a 0-0 draw in the latest edition of the always-enthralling BIG TEL AVIV DERBY.

In a surprising move, FC Hapoel Tel Aviv trainer NITZAN SHIRAZI dropped first choice goalkeeper APOULA EDEL, the Cameroonian-born Armenia international of mysterious age. Edel, whom the Reds signed on a free transfer from French Ligue 1 side Paris St. Germain this summer to replace departed Nigeria World Cup goalkeeper VINCENT ENYEAMA, had started 29 of 30 matches for FC Hapoel Tel Aviv in Ligat ha’Al this term, including last weekend’s 2-2 draw with FC Maccabi Haifa. Instead, the inexperienced and youthful BORIS KLEIMAN was tapped by Shirazi to face the Yellows in the Big Tel Aviv Derby Played Behind Closed Doors.

In a major departure from the last meeting with the Yellows, the Reds trainer also changed his formation. Striker OMER DAMARI, the 23-year-old Israel international who paces the Reds with 15 goals in Ligat ha’Al this term, was deployed as a lone striker up front for FC Hapoel Tel Aviv. A five-man midfield for Shirazi’s squad already without suspended Israel internationals SALIM TOAMA, the former legionnaire with Belgian outfit Standard Liege, and AVIHAI YADIN, then.

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Israel U-21 international goalkeeper BORIS KLEIMAN (22), the 20-year-old who spent all of last season out on loan to second division club FC Hapoel Kfar Saba, walks out just behind FC Hapoel Tel Aviv captain VALEED BADEER, the 38-year-old veteran defender who had a season for FC Wimbledon in England once upon a time and has earned 74 caps for the senior national team of Israel in his career, just prior to the start of the Big Tel Aviv Derby match opposite traditional, intra-city rival FC Maccabi Tel Aviv that was played behind closed doors at the Bloomfield Stadium.
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FC Maccabi Tel Aviv skipper BARAK YITZHAKI tested Kleiman twice early on with difficult, low drives that the young FC Hapoel Tel Aviv goalkeeper did well to keep out at full stretch. Perhaps the lack of crowd noise allowed for sharper concentration but, whatever the case, the youngster also pulled off a couple of sensational saves at the expense of the Yellows’ 19-year-old winger MOANES DABOUR. The second of these efforts, in the 43rd minute, would clearly have been deserving of a derby match-winner but Kleiman, indeed, had other ideas.

Meanwhile, at the other end of the pitch, Israel international GUY HAIMOV picked right up where he had left off in the last Big Tel Aviv Derby between the sticks for FC Maccabi Tel Aviv. Half an hour into the match, FC Hapoel Tel Aviv midfielder SHAY ABUTBUL curled a free kick around the wall only to have the flying Haimov, who ended the derby match with a fifth shutout in six Ligat ha’Al games since returning from a lengthy injury spell, just barely tip the ball to safety. The Reds’ right fullback I’YAD KHUTABA had a great chance from the resulting corner but blasted his shot well over the crossbar.

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Israel international goalkeeper GUY HAIMOV (55) of FC Maccabi Tel Aviv, easily the Man of the Match in the last, controversy-filled Big Tel Aviv Derby, secures the ball ahead of FC Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Nigeria international midfielder NOSA IGIEBOR (40), a summer acquisition of the Reds from Norwegian side SK Lillestrom, during the Big Tel Aviv Derby Behind Closed Doors.
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The pace of the match slowed considerably in the second half, as did the scoring chances, themselves. Nigeria international NOSA IGIEBOR, perhaps the Reds’ most menacing player operating in the central attacking midfield role, narrowly missed with a shot ten minutes after the break. Yellows striker ELIRAN ATAR, who dispatched the only goal of the previous Big Tel Aviv Derby from the penalty spot, broke in clear but shot high and wide from a sharp angle on the hour.

Midfielder GAL ALBERMAN, the Bundesliga veteran with 27 caps for Israel, had a standout match in the defensive midfield for the Yellows, it should be noted. FC Maccabi Tel Aviv interim trainer NIR LEVINE did send on veteran Israel international striker ROBERTO COLAUTTI, who scored six goals in 47 German top flight matches with Borussia Moenchengladbach before transferring to the Yellows in the summer of 2010, to see about a late winner but none was forthcomng. Abutbul had the last attempt for FC Hapoel Tel Aviv but slammed another free kick straight into the wall.

FC Hapoel Tel Aviv striker TOTO TAMUZ, the Israel international who is second for the Reds with 13 goals in Ligat ha’Al this term, never made it off the bench and onto the pitch at the Bloomfield Stadium for the Big Tel Aviv Derby Behind Closed Doors.

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A sliding FC Hapoel Tel Aviv midfielder SHAY ABUTBUL cannot prevent FC Maccabi Tel Aviv winger MOANES DABOUR, the emerging 19-year-old Israel youth international who has scored four goals in Ligat ha’Al this season, from having what will prove to be the best chance of the Big Tel Aviv Derby match played behind closed doors at the Bloomfield Stadium.
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FC HAPOEL TEL AVIV : Kleiman – Khutaba, Badeer, Suler, Antebi – Abutbul, Giordana – Oremus, Igiebor, Cohen (Abbas 71′) – Damari

FC MACCABI TEL AVIV : Haimov – Vered, Puncec, Nivaldo, Ziv – Dabour (Israelevich 79′), Alberman, Yeini, Micha (Colautti 81st) – Yitzhaki, Atar

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FC Maccabi Tel Aviv defensive midfielder GAL ALBERMAN, the 28-year-old Israel international who signed for the Yellows in the summer of 2010 after two seasons in Germany with Borussia Moenchengladbach, looks to gum up the works for the FC Hapoel Tel Aviv midfield pair of Nigeria international NOSA IGIEBOR (40) and former Israel U-21 international SHAY ABUTBUL (18) during the latest installment of the Big Tel Aviv Derby.

Big Tel Aviv Derby Behind Closed Doors

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BLOOMFIELD STADIUM, TEL AVIV
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There is, perhaps, no better way to begin the so-called Championship Round of this 2011-12 Ligat ha’Al season than with another action-packed BIG TEL AVIV DERBY featuring traditional intra-city rivals FC HAPOEL TEL AVIV and FC MACCABI TEL AVIV.

However, unfortunately for local football fans, the latest installment of the Red and Yellows this Saturday will be played behind closed doors as a result of the tumultuous events that transpired at the most recent Big Tel Aviv Derby only eighteen days ago on the 5th of March.

Both the Reds and Yellows share the BLOOMFIELD STADIUM in Tel Aviv, which has an official capacity for 14,700 spectators. But it was FC Hapoel Tel Aviv supporters, 24 of whom were arrested afterwards, who clearly caused a tremendous amount of trouble in the last meeting with FC Maccabi Tel Aviv, which was a home match for the Reds. The ISRAEL FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION has clamped down hard on FC Hapoel Tel Aviv — three points deducted in the standings, three home matches to be played behind closed doors immediately in addition to a financial penalty of 40,000 Israeli New Shekels.

Furthermore, the two FC Hapoel Tel Aviv players who were both expelled by match referee Menashe Mashiah during the long seven minutes of time added on, midfielders AVIHAI YUDIN and SALIM TOAMA, have also faced justice from the IFA, as well. Yudin has been suspended for an unprecedented 12 games while Toama received a considerable six-match ban for disorderly conduct and other related charges. The Reds did issue an official statement stating the club intend to appeal the “harsh” decision.

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FC Ironi Kiryat Shmona are all but certain to clinch the 2012 Ligat ha’Al title shortly (perhaps even this weekened), there is all to play for in the Championship Round for both the Reds and Yellows. Although FC Hapoel Tel Aviv are second in the standings on 49 points despite their penalty, there are three clubs only two points adrift and still another three teams, including FC Maccabi Tel Aviv, all within at least six points of the Reds, too. In short, the three Israeli places for the income-generating UEFA Europa League competition next season are anything but decided.

FC Hapoel Tel Aviv have done well for themselves as of late despite the losses. Trainer NITZAN SHIRAZI’s squad defeated last season’s champions, FC Maccabi Haifa, decisively on the road 4-1 and tied this term’s runaway leaders FC Ironi Kiryat Shmona 2-2 in Ligat ha’Al in the wake of the last Big Tel Aviv Derby. Just this past Wednesday, the resilient Reds needed extra time but were also able to oust FC Hapoel Bnei Lod 3-1 in the Israeli State Cup.

FC Maccabi Tel Aviv, meanwhile, had climbed to as high as fifth in the standings a couple of weeks ago but fell 0-3 on their travels at currently-fifth place FC Maccabi Netanya last Saturday. It should be noted that trainer NIR LEVINE’s side were without three regulars including striker BARAK ITZHAKI, second for the Yellows this term with eight goals in Ligat ha’Al, who were all suspended (too many yellow cards) for that match in Netanya. Israel international goalkeeper GUY HAIMOV had been on a roll for the Yellows before the loss, as well, posting four consecutive clean sheets after returning from an injury which had put the 24-year-old netminder out of action 17 games in Ligat ha’Al earlier.

The Yellows, of course, just recently put an end to nearly four long years of frustration and finally defeated the Reds in the last Big Tel Aviv Derby to stop a ten-match winless streak against their great intra-city arch-rival.

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Israel international striker and FC Maccabi Tel Aviv club captain BARAK YITZHAKI, who netted three goals in 15 matches for Belgian side Racing Genk to close out the 2007-08 campaign before a move that summer to FC Beitar Jerusalem, looks to elude the sliding challenge of FC Hapoel Tel Aviv defender AVIHAI YADIN, who has since been issued a long suspension by the Israel Football Association, during the last Big Tel Aviv Derby match at the Bloomfield Stadium at the beginning of March.

FC Hapoel Tel Aviv 0 – FC Maccabi Tel Aviv 1

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Israel international defender YOAV ZIV (14) of FC Maccabi Tel Aviv, whose run into the box would tip the scales of the Big Tel Aviv Derby for the Yellows, weighs his options as FC Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Israel international midfielder ALROEY COHEN (11) moves in to challenge during the intense, backyard tussle featuring two sides who both call the Bloomfield Stadium home.
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It all happened in this most interesting intra-city clash of fierce arch-rivals, then, as the English would certainly be inclined to say.

Crunching tackles and cards (no fewer than thirteen yellow and two red) flowing freely from the match referee’s pocket. Dramatic scoring opportunities denied by in-form goalkeepers employing highlight-reel heroics. Even the atmosphere inside the ground played its requisite part with an energized and raucous audience always on the verge of completely crossing that invisible line and becoming totally out of control.

It was, in short, pretty much everything a classic derby match is supposed to be. The sort of stuff that really makes it hard for a blogger to even know where to begin, actually. Heart-felt condolences and sympathy are officially extended to all the unfortunates around the world who missed this latest installment of the BIG TEL AVIV DERBY!

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FC Maccabi Tel Aviv midfielder GAL ALBERMAN (6), the 28-year-old veteran with 27 caps for Israel who spent two seasons with German club Borussia Moenchengladbach before signing with the Yellows in the summer of 2010, prepares to pass the ball ahead of FC Hapoel Tel Aviv’s trailing Israel international striker TOTO TAMUZ (99), who has netted 34 goals in Ligat ha’Al for the Reds since being acquired from FC Beitar Jerusalem at the beginning of last season, during the Big Tel Aviv Derby match at the Bloomfield Stadium.
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FC HAPOEL TEL AVIV looked to have secured a lightning start to the contest with ultimate adversary FC MACCABI TEL AVIV after Nigeria international midfielder NOSA IGIEBOR netted a ball for the Reds in the opening minute of the match but the goal was correctly disallowed as the summer signing from Norwegian club SK Lillestrom, who always looked the most lively and menacing on this evening for FC Hapoel Tel Aviv, had taken his feed from a player who had originally received his pass while in the offsides position.

Things evened out shortly thereafter when the counterattacking Yellows worked a ball into the back of the net only to have the strike waved off with another correct offsides decision in the 16th minute.

For the most part, the first half unfolded as expected with FC Hapoel Tel Aviv, standing second in Ligat ha’Al, better able to dominate the possession and create the chances. But FC Maccabi Tel Aviv, entering the match occuping eighth place in the Israeli top flight standings, remained disciplined and organized on defense as well as very determined with the tackle. And the Yellows, seeking to put an end to nearly four years of futility against the domineering Reds, would, in fact, be rewarded for their patient and pragmatic game plan with the halftime whistle approaching.

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TURNING POINT OF THE DERBY MATCH — Israel international defender YOAV ZIV (14) of FC Maccabi Tel Aviv is taken down by FC Hapoel Tel Aviv defender I’YAD KHUTABA, who made his international debut for Israel in the pivotal UEFA European Championships, Group F qualifer against Croatia in Zagreb this past September, inside the penalty area in the 41st minute of the Big Tel Aviv Derby at the Bloomfield Stadium.
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FC Hapoel Tel Aviv goalkeeper APOULA EDEL, the Cameroon native who has made six appearances for the national team of Armenia and was involved in an age / identity controversy while playing with French Ligue 1 club Paris Saint Germain last season, guessed correctly but was beaten by the sheer power of the low, well-taken penalty by FC Maccabi Tel Aviv striker ELIRAN ATAR.
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Slovenia World Cup defender MARKO SULER (5) of FC Hapoel Tel Aviv, recently arrived on loan from Belgian side KAA Gent, can only despair as FC Maccabi Tel Aviv striker ELIRAN ATAR (16) celebrates his pivotal 42nd minute strike from the penalty spot as Yellows club captain and Israel international striker BARAK YITZHAKI (9) offers his congratulations during the absolutely riveting Big Tel Aviv Derby at the Bloomfield Stadium.
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A team-leading ninth goal of the Ligat ha’Al season from FC Maccabi Tel Aviv striker ELIRAN ATAR provided the Yellows with both a burst of momentum as well as a boost of confidence for the underdogs as the two sides departed for their respective changing rooms at the break.

FC Hapoel Tel Aviv stepped up the pressure considerably after the restart but Israel international striker OMER DAMARI, who leads the Reds with 14 goals in Ligat ha’Al this term, wasted a good chance by firing wide in the 49th minute. Igiebor soon followed with a dangerous, deflected effort that FC Maccabi Tel Aviv’s Israel international goalkeeper GUY HAIMOV did exceptionally well to get a hand to and just barely steer around the post. And then Slovenia World Cup defender MARKO SULER, a recent acquisition of the Reds on loan from Belgian side KAA Gent, forced the besieged Haimov, making only his third start since returning from a long injury layoff, into another stunning save with a fierce header from a corner kick.

Even Israel international striker TOTO TAMUZ, who is second on FC Hapoel Tel Aviv having scored a baker’s dozen goals in the domestic top flight this season, got in on the act but directed his header from a corner straight at the Yellows shot-stopper on the hour.

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Derby Day Man of the Moment ELIRAN ATAR (16), who scored FC Maccabi Tel Aviv’s only goal in the 3-1 loss to FC Hapoel Tel Aviv in Ligat ha’Al earlier this fall, is mobbed by supporters of the Yellows at the Bloomfield Stadium just after dispatching a 42nd minute penalty kick against the Reds during the dramatic Big Tel Aviv Derby.
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FC Maccabi Tel Aviv interim trainer NIR LEVINE wisely wisely withdrew a striker in favor of an extra midfielder with twenty-five mintues remaining. This helped to stem the flow of the Reds’ attack somewhat although Tamuz did bring about yet another quality save from Haimov with a drive from the top of the box with about a dozen minutes left in regulation. Igiebor would have the last chance for FC Hapoel Tel Aviv but sent his long range effort straight at the Man of the Match for FC Maccabi Tel Aviv two minutes into stoppage time.

Seven additional minutes, in fact, were added on by match referee MENASHE MASHIAH, who had his hands full throughout the contest, and distasteful scenes would ensue. As television replays clearly showed, the match-winner Atar was clunked on the head at the corner flag by an object thrown from the stands occupied by FC Hapoel Tel Aviv supporters. Earlier on in the Big Tel Aviv Derby, a fan of FC Maccabi Tel Aviv had been badly injured after a flare was thrown by someone in the Reds section, as well, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz later reported.

FC Hapoel Tel Aviv completely lost its composure and had two players sent off in the fourth minute of time added on. This, of course, accomplished little aside from effectively de-railing any prospect of an equalizer. For when the final whistle brought the explosive Big Tel Aviv Derby to its conclusion, FC Maccabi Tel Aviv celebrated all the same.

The ten-match winless streak opposite the dreaded arch-rival was over!

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Brazilian import defender NIVALDO BATISTA SANTANA, the 31-year-old, well-traveled veteran who joined with FC Maccabi Tel Aviv via a free transfer from Spanish side Real Valladolid in the summer of 2010 and has become a respected elder statesman at the Ligat ha’Al club since, salutes the supporters after the Yellows put an end to the 10-match winless streak against the despised Reds in the always-exciting Big Tel Aviv Derby from Israel.
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FC HAPOEL TEL AVIV : Edel – Khutaba (Abbas 80′), Shushan, Suler, Antebi – Oremus (Cohen 54′), Yadin, Abutbul (Toama 46′), Igiebor – Tamuz, Damari

FC MACCABI TEL AVIV : Haimov – Saban, Puncec, Nivaldo, Ziv – Dabour, Alberman, Micha (Yeini 83′), Dahan (Konate 83′) – Atar, Yitzhaki (Kehat 65′)

goal — Atar 42′

yellow cards — Atar 14′, Khutaba 14′, Yadin 22′, Yitzhaki 23′, Oremus 38′, Shushan 51′, Igiebor 52′, Toama 54′, Haimov 74′, Yeini 83′, Dabour 85′, Abbas 90+6′, Damari 90+7′

red cards — Yadin 90+4′, Toama 90+4′

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Haimov Is Toast Of Tel Aviv

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It had been a very tough season for goalkeeper GUY HAIMOV so far.

It was the FC Maccabi Tel Aviv shot-stopper, then, who had been tapped as a substitute for Spanish legionnaire Dudu Aouate of Real Mallorca at halftime by Israel in the UEFA European Championships, Group F qualifying match in Zagreb. The visitors were clinging to a one goal lead at the break but it all collapsed rather quickly as Croatia put three balls past the hapless Haimov within twelves minutes of the restart. Having a player sent off after the equalizer, of course, did little to help the 24-year-old’s cause on his unfortunte international debut that early September day.

Not so long afterwards, Haimov, who had finally rejoined the Yellows senior squad after spending the past five seasons out on loan to three different Israeli clubs, was between the sticks as FC Maccabi Tel Aviv were drubbed 5-1 by JK Beskitas in Instanbul during the round robin phase of the UEFA Europa League.

And then the injury bug hit in late October, following the 3-0 loss to Stoke City in England, causing Haimov to miss the next 17 Ligat ha’Al matches in succession.

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Game-winning goal-scorer ELIRAN ATAR (16) and Man of the Match GUY HAIMOV (55) in the winning changing room with the rest of the FC MACCABI TEL AVIV squad following the memorable 1-0 defeat of arch-rival FC Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Big Tel Aviv Derby from the Bloomfield Stadium.
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But everything has changed so much for the better now.

Finally, Haimov had his turn to make his debut in the grand Big Tel Aviv Derby. And the goalkeeper who, ironically enough, spent last term with this season’s Ligat ha’Al leaders, Ironyi Kiryat Shmona, would more than make the most of his opportunity in such a high-profile match. A string of excellent saves in the second half by the FC Maccabi Tel Aviv youth team product saw to it that the ten-game winless skid against its intra-city, arch-adversary was ended in dramatic fashion.

In fact, not only was Haimov sensational oppostite FC Hapoel Tel Aviv, the first choice for the Yellows has actually kept the sheet clean in all three matches he has started since returning from injury.

Big Tel Aviv Derby Today!

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The respective first teams for red-shirted FC HAPOEL TEL AVIV and all-yellow clad, intra-city rival FC MACCABI TEL AVIV line-up at the Bloomfield Stadium just prior to the start of the BIG TEL AVIV DERBY match this past November.
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With FC HAPOEL TEL AVIV stuck in second place a massive fourteen points behind the Ligat ha’Al leaders and arch-adversary FC MACCABI TEL AVIV far adrift occupying eighth position in the domestic top flight standings, the proverbial old adage, “throw out the records”, will apply more than ever when traditional foes, the Reds and the Yellows, collide in the first installment of the always-intense Big Tel Aviv Derby for this calendar year of 2012.

FC Hapoel Tel Aviv, the two-time defending Israeli State Cup holders who won the Ligat ha’Al title in 2010 and finished second last season, have had their way with their great intra-city rival in recent times and remain unbeaten in their last ten top flight matches (with six wins) against FC Maccabi Tel Aviv, who are Israel’s most successful club historically but whose last honors came with the State Cup title won back in 2005.

But the Yellows, under the direction of interim trainer NIR LEVINE after the sacking of MOTTI IVANIR in early December, do have the requisite amount of pride and tradition and will be looking to knock off the despised Reds in Ligat ha’Al for the first time in nearly four long years — since FC Maccabi Tel Aviv edged FC Hapoel Tel Aviv 2-1 on March 9, 2008, to be exact.

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Israel U-21 international midfielder DOR MICHA (15) of FC Maccabi Tel Aviv, who leads the Yellows with 25 appearances in Ligat ha’Al this season, duels for possession of the ball with FC Hapoel Tel Aviv’s youthful midfielder ROEI GORDANA (21) during the Big Tel Aviv Derby match at the Bloomfield Stadium this past November.
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In the last Big Tel Aiv Derby a little more than three months ago, the Reds downed the Yellows 3-1 on the strength of goals from Slovakia international defender MARIO PECALKA, Israel international midfielder ALROEY COHEN and veteran midfielder SHAY ABUTBUL.

Israel international striker BARAK YITZHAKI, the 27-year-old attacker who had half a season for Racing Genk in Belgium before returning to FC Beitar Jerusalem in the summer of 2008, accounted for the lone goal of FC Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Pecalka, a 31-year-old who had only arrived at FC Hapoel Tel Aviv in the summer from Slovak outfit MSK Zilina, has since gone out on loan to SK Slovan Bratislava back in his homeland; the replacement is Slovenia World Cup defender MARKO SULER, the 28-year-old with 30 caps who is arriving in Tel Aviv on loan from Belgian side KAA Gent.

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FC Maccabi Tel Aviv defender YOAV ZIV (14), the 30-year veteran with 28 caps for Israel who signed for the Yellows in the summer of 2010 from Belgian side KSC Lokeren, clears the ball under pressure from FC Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Israel international striker TOTO TAMUZ (99), the 23-year-old who led the entire Ligat ha’Al with 21 goals last term, during the Big Tel Aviv Derby at the Bloomfield Stadium this past November.
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BIG TEL AVIV DERBY – Bloomfield Stadium
Match Highlights — November 27, 2011

http://www.footytube.com/video/maccabi-tel-aviv-hapoel-tel-aviv-nov-27-97276

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FC Maccabi Tel Aviv goalkeeper BARAK LEVY (1), the 19-year-old who took over as first choice between the sticks after the injury to Israel international GUY HAIMOV, gathers a high ball in front of FC Hapoel Tel Aviv’s Nigeria international midfielder NOSA IGIEBOR (40) during the Big Tel Aviv Derby at the Bloomfield Stadium this past November.
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2011/12 season
FC Hapoel Tel Aviv

Ligat ha’Al goal-scoring — Damari 14, Tamuz 13, Cohen 4, Badeer 3, Abutbul 2, Toama 2, Yadin 2, Fransman 1, Gordana 1, Igiebor 1, Lala 1, Oremus 1, Pecalka 1

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Israel international striker OMER DAMARI of FC Hapoel Tel Aviv (left)
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2011/12 season
FC Maccabi Tel Aviv

Ligat ha’Al goals — Atar 8, Yitzhaki 8, Colautti 7, Dabour 4, Konate 4, Kehat 3, Mendunjanin 1, Micha 1, Nivaldo 1, Yeini 1

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Senegal international striker MOUSSA KONATE of FC Maccabi Tel Aviv (left)
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FC Maccabi Tel Aviv, Diaper Debutant Roll Along

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FC MACCABI TEL AVIV lift 18-year-old goal-scoring debutant DOR MICHA into the air following a first-ever strike for the senior team in the 87th minute of the Ligat ha’Al match against FC Hapoel Ramat Gan at the Winter Stadium in Israel. (maccabi-tla/co.il)
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FC MACCABI TEL AVIV stretched its unbeaten run in Ligat ha’Al under the stewardship of new manager MOTTI IVANIR to six games with a 3-0 victory over bottom of the table FC Hapoel Ramat Gan on the road at the Winter Stadium.

Striker ELIRAN ATAR, the leading scorer for the Yellows, found the back of the net twice in the second half. Bulgaria international striker DIMITAR RANGELOV, the hero of last week’s derby with FC Hapoel Tel Aviv, arranged the opening tally for the 23-year-old attacker. Atar, acquired from cross-town FC Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv for $ 1.2 million dollars this past summer, hiked his total to 10 goals for FC Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli top flight this term.

18-year-old DOR MICHA made his senior professional debut for FC Maccabi Tel Aviv and marked the occasion in fine fashion. The teenager assisted on the second goal by Atar and, in the 87th minute, added his first-ever goal for the Yellows to complete the scoring. Micha was included in the line-up in place of HARIS MEDUNJANIN, who was held out of the starting XI after representing Bosnia / Herzegovina internationally in midweek.

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(maccabi-tla.co.il)

FC Maccabi Tel Aviv 1 – FC Hapoel Tel Aviv 1

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With the Reds’ Nigeria World Cup goalkeeper VINCENT ENYEAMA (right) well off his line, highly-experienced Israel international defender and FC Hapoel Tel Aviv club captain VALEED BADEER heads the ball away from FC Maccabi Tel Aviv striker ELIRAN ATAR, the leading goal-scorer for the Yellows in Ligat ha’Al this season, during the Big Tel Aviv Derby match at the Bloomfield Stadium. (maccabi-tlv.co.il)
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The first BIG TEL AVIV DERBY match of the still-relatively New Year of 2011 delivered plenty of intensity and entertainment as any intra-city rivalry is typically wont to do.

Defending champions FC HAPOEL TEL AVIV took a well-deserved first half advantage. But, FC MACCABI TEL AVIV, the most successful side in the history of Israeli football, fought back for an equalizer shortly after the halftime break. A tense finish found the two goalkeepers in fine form and, thus, each side took a point from the 1-1 draw.

Israel international ERAN ZAHAVI, who led FC Hapoel Tel Aviv with five goals during the UEFA Champions League campaign, could have given the Reds a fast start against their bitter rivals. The 22-year-old had scored a spectacular goal earlier this Holiday Season in France with an overhead bicycle kick against Olympique Lyon. The emerging midfielder, however, allowed FC Maccabi Tel Aviv to go unpunished with an off-target volley in the eighth minute.

Zahavi would redeem himself half an hour into the match, though, with an accurate left wing cross into the box for the waiting captain of FC Hapoel Tel Aviv.

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Israel international defender YOAV ZIV (14) of FC Maccabi Tel Aviv, back in Ligat ha’Al after a campaign in Belgium with KSC Lokeren, slides tackles the ball away from FC Hapoel Tel Aviv’s talented Israel international midfielder ERAN ZAHAVI during the intra-city derby at the Bloomfield Stadium. (maccabi-tlv.co.il)
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Aging 36-year-old VALEED BADEER is just outside the top ten all-time with 74 caps for Israel. The experienced center back, who spent two seasons in England with London club FC Wimbledon several years ago, has notched 12 goals — an impressive number by a defender — for his country, as well. The battle-hardened veteran did not let his team down in the Big Tel Aviv Derby and deposited a free header for a 1-0 FC Hapoel Tel Aviv lead.

The goal marked the captain Badeer’s first for the Reds in Ligat ha’Al this season.

The current title holders continued to press but were prevented from doing further damage by the captain of FC Maccabi Tel Aviv with eight caps for Israel over the course of his long career, 37-year-old goalkeeper LIAN STRAUBER.

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(maccabi-tlv.co.il)
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The Yellows have not defeated the Reds in the Big Tel Aviv Derby since March of 2008, a fact which FC Maccabi Tel Aviv’s new manager MOTTI IVANIR reminded his team during the halftime talk.

Sufficiently inspired, the 18-time national champion of Israel struck just two minutes after the restart when a sharp pass from youthful Israel international midfielder MAOR BUZAGLO, who leads the Yellows wit seven assists in Ligat ha’Al this term, released Bulgaria international DIMITAR RANGELOV. The striker on loan from German Bundesliga leader Borussia Dortmund has struggled to score goals in the Israeli top flight this term but found a sense of occasion just in time for the great all-Tel Aviv tussle. Having done so, Rangelov dispatched his effort to record just his second goal this season and equalize for FC Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Appropriate enough for the night the late, great Israel international AVI COHEN’s # 5 shirt was forever put away, the game was back on.

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Bulgaria international striker DIMITAR RANGELOV signals with delight his equalizing goal for FC Maccabi Tel Aviv while opposing FC Hapoel Tel Aviv striker BEN SAHAR (11) looks away with his hands on his hips shortly into the second half of the Big Tel Aviv Derby at the Bloomfield Stadium. (maccabi-tlv.co.il)
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In the 67th minute, FC Hapoel Tel Aviv’s in-form Israel international striker BEN SAHAR only just missed his chance to be a derby match-winner.

Mali international midfielder DJIBRIL SIDIBE, who has scored two goals in Ligat ha’Al for FC Maccabi Tel Aviv this season, had the most dangerous opportunity with a little over ten minutes remaining from time. The 28-year-old midfielder, acquired by the Yellows for a mere 150,000 Euros from French outfit CS Sedan this past summer, unleashed a thunderbolt from about 30 meters out. But Sidibe would not claim derby hero status, either.

Nigeria World Cup goalkeeper VINCENT ENYEAMA needed to employ all his considerable athleticism and skill to get his fingertips to the rocket of Sidibe and keep FC Hapoel Tel Aviv level.

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(maccabi-tlv.co.il)
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With less than five minutes remaining in regulation time, the Reds created one final attempt at victory in the Big Tel Aviv Derby. Israel international midfielder GIL VERMOUTH launched a missle from the edge of the penalty area but Strauber proved equal to the task for FC Maccabi Tel Aviv. Thus, the score stood at 1-1 with the final whistle.

FC Hapoel Tel Aviv fell out of first place behind FC Maccabi Haifa with the draw opposite their traditional intra-city, arch-rival. FC Maccabi Tel Aviv, meanwhile, were able to stretch their hold on third to six points. The resurgent Yellows also remained unbeaten under the stewardship of Ivanir.

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FC MACCABI TEL AVIV : Strauber – Ziv, Strool, Pavicevic, Saban (Gafney 86′) – Israelevich (Alberman 67′), Sidibe, Medunjanin, Buzaglo – Atar (Colautti 60′), Rangelov

FC HAPOEL TEL AVIV : Enyeama – Bondarv, Fransman, Badeer, Ben Dayan – Vermouth, Zahavi, Abutbul (Toama 62′), Yadin – Tamuz (Maree 83′), Sahar

FC Maccabi Tel Aviv Put Away Avi Cohen’s # 5 Permanently

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(maccabi-tlv.co.il)
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The celebrated Big Tel Aviv Derby certainly was the appropriate setting for FC MACCABI TEL AVIV, the most successful side in the history of domestic football, to formally and permanently retire the # 5 shirt of the late AVI COHEN, the former Israel international and great pioneer.

Cohen, the former FC Liverpool and Glasgow Rangers man, tragically passed away following a traffic accident in late December and the entire football world subsequently mourned.

Aside from two stints totaling three years in Great Britain, Cohen was a mainstay for FC Maccabi Tel Aviv beginning in the mid-1970′s right through the early 1990′s. All told, the fallen hero featured in two league championships — 1977 and 1979 — for the Yellows and earned a State Cup title in 1987 with FC Maccabi Tel Aviv, as well. In between those triumphs, Cohen had been a member of FC Liverpool’s 1981 European Cup championship squad.

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(maccabi-tlv-co.il)

Rangelov Rescues Yellows

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Bulgaria international striker DIMITAR RANGELOV of FC Maccabi Tel Aviv races away from FC Hapoel Tel Aviv’s South Africa international defender BEVAN FRANSMAN (6) during the Big Tel Aviv Derby this past weekend at the Bloomfield Stadium. (maccabi-tlv.co.il)
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The name of Bulgaria international striker DIMITAR RANGELOV, mired in a three-month long goalless drought, resurfaced on the scoresheet at the most opportune time for FC MACCABI TEL AVIV in the monster derby match with fierce intra-city, arch-rival FC Hapoel Tel Aviv over the weekend.

Rangelov, on loan from runaway Bundesliga leader Borussia Dortmund, registered just his second strike of this Ligat ha’Al season to earn a draw for the Yellows in the Big Tel Aviv Derby. As a matter of fact, scoring goals has been rather challenging for the Bulgarian attacker the past few years. Indeed, the newly-turned 28-year-old has managed just three league goals since leaving German club FC Energie Cottbus in the summer of 2009.

During the 2008-09 campaign, Rangelov recorded nine goals in 27 Bundesliga games for the one-time D.D.R. Oberliga outfit. A move costing 1.0 million Euros to Borussia Dortmund followed but the Bulgarian spent most of the 2009-10 schedule on the bench behind Paraguay World Cup striker LUCAS BARRIOS, who finished third in the German top flight with 19 goals. Rangelov, for his part, played just ten Bundesliga matches scoring but a single goal for die Schwarzgelben.

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Striker DIMITAR RANGELOV (8), who has won 24 caps for Bulgaria in his career, scored 15 goals in 49 Bundesliga games for former East German club FC Energie Cottbus over two seasons before a transfer costing 1.0 million Euros to Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2009. (bundesliga.de)
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The former PFC Slavia Sofia striker made just one appearance, that as a substitute, for Borussia Dortmund at the beginning of the new 2010-11 season. But the purchase by die Schwarzgelben of Poland international attacker ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI from KKS Lech Poznan for 5.0 million Euros always left Rangelov looking surplus to requirements at Signal Iduna Park. Thus, the Bulgarian was lent to FC Maccabi Tel Aviv fo the remainder of this term.

Rangelov registered his first Ligat ha’Al goal on November 6 in the Yellows’ 2-0 triumph over FC Hapoel Ashkelon but a second would not come for some time. The Bulgarian’s strike in the Big Tel Aviv Derby arrived on his 14th appearance for FC Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli top flight.

It should be noted that, in spite of the lack of goals, Rangelov has been laying the ball off well and is second on FC Maccabi Tel Aviv with four assists in Ligat ha’Al this season.

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Bulgaria international striker DIMITAR RANGELOV (11) of Borussia Dortmund shoots past Bayer Leverkusen’s Germany international goalkeeper RENE ADLER to score his one and only goal of the 2009-10 Bundesliga season during the late March match at Signal Iduna Park in North Rhine-Westphalia. (bigsoccer.com)

Tel Aviv’s Derby Day Architectural Tour

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It was said in the 1930s that the Middle Eastern city of TEL AVIV had the appearance as if a great fleet of white ocean liners had somehow managed to wash up on the beach. (photo courtesy Molovinsky Educational Institute for Advanced Cultural Studies)
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No matter where in the world one decides to take in a football match, it is, in fact, rather difficult to journey to any given athletic facility in any given location and not notice at least a little something in terms of the surrounding environment and landscape.

With that in mind, the blog is very pleased and honored to have been able to arrange a special Derby Day treat — a wonderful blog piece about some of the architecture that can be found in today’s featured city :

“TEL AVIV, THE BAUHAUS PERIOD”

http://molovinskyonallentown.blogspot.com

Please enjoy and, if one is not careful, something new in terms of knowledge just may be acquired from the local heavyweight champion of cultrure, history and tradition here in the United States.

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In the early 1930s over a dozen young and talented architects fled the Nazis in Adolf Hitler’s Germany and came to Tel Aviv. There, they built thousands of buildings in the Modern / International style influenced by the Bauhaus Movement. (photo courtesy Molovinsky Educational Institute for Advanced Cultural Studies)
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