Kiryat Shmona took another huge step toward securing a first championship crown on Saturday, the unlikely lads from the north securing a 2-0 away victory over Maccabi Petah Tikva.
The league leaders' two main rivals dropped points, Ashdod stumbling 1-0 at Netanya and Hapoel Tel Aviv only managing a home draw against Bnei Sakhnin.
Last week's falling out between Kiryat Shmona's owner Izzy Sheratzky and coach Ran Ben Shimon had absolutely no affect on the players. If anything, it spurred them on when they arrived at Hamoshava stadium to play resurgent Maccabi Petah Tikva.
Kiryat Shmona took an early lead through a beautiful David Solari strike in the 15th minute and never looked back. Ben Shimon's charges took complete control of the game, making it 2-0 in the 62nd minute following two sublime touches. Adrian Rochet's through ball completely bypassed the home team's defense, and Shimon Abuhatzira scored his 10th goal of the season with an equally elegant touch.
After the final whistle, Ben Shimon said it was one his team's finest performances of the season. Indeed, Kiryat Shmona's soccer sparkled at times. More than ever, with a 12-point lead, the title is now theirs to lose.
Especially when one considers their rivals' form. Last week, Hapoel Tel Aviv managed a win at Rishon Letzion, despite playing most of the game with 10 men. Last night at Bloomfield, captain Walid Badir was at the center of things. First, with an incredible miss from two yards which hit the crossbar, and then when he received the most inexplicable red card, in the 32nd minute.
Replays showed Badir had done nothing wrong, not even a simple foul, but referee Assaf Keinan still sent him off. Hapoel struggled to maintain control but the decision changed the game, and the league's two best offensive teams - Hapoel has managed 46 goals this season, Bnei Sakhnin an impressive 42 - played some decent soccer, but never managed to score.
Third placed Ashdod would have been happy with a draw at Netanya, but Hen Ezra scored the only goal of the game in the 88th minute, to put an end to Netanya's mini-crisis with a much needed 1-0 win. Ashdod, one suspects, were never true contenders.
While the title race is practically over, the battle against relegation is heating up. Saturday's games featured two direct face-offs between four of the six candidates for relegation, each complete with drama and goals. Rishon Letzion surprised hosts Hapoel Haifa when Stefan Deak put them ahead after 29 minutes. For some strange reason, Deak then gifted Haifa a penalty barely a minute later, allowing Yuval Avidor to equalize. Haifa's new star, Ali El-Khatib, took control of the game and Haifa scored a second in the 41st minute through Gal Harel. Rishon weren't about to give up though and equalized in the 68th minute through Gal Mayo, but Haifa knew it was their day, and Yuval Avidor scored the winner in the 65th minute, to lift his team out of the drop zone.
Hapoel Petah Tikva's game in Be'er Sheva was even more dramatic. William Suarez put the hosts ahead in the 54th minute, but Yaniv Luzon equalized in the 69th minute. Just as it seemed that both teams would have to make do with a point, captain Guy Tzarfati scored a winner in the 93rd minute. Petah Tikva were docked 9 points before the season started and remain rooted at the foot of the league, but only seven points away from 13th place.
Hapoel Acre beat Ironi Ramat Hasharon 2-0 in a rather insignificant game, since both teams are well anchored in midtable.
Tonight, Bnei Yehuda, enjoying a decent run of results, hosts Maccabi Haifa. Tomorrow the season's two most disappointing teams, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Beitar Jerusalem, meet in what was once seen as one of the season's highlights. Nowadays it's a meeting between two clubs who are shadows of their former selves.
