‘31 ⚽️ 0-1 Hamakhtesh Givatayim
‘45 ⚽️ 1-1 Yuval Levi, Ron Sharifi assist
‘90 ⚽️ 1-2 Hamakhtesh Givatayim
Top row (from left to right): David Martane, Leo Gewertz, Gabo Terkieltaub, Andre Walker, Andy Gabay, Ron Sharifi, Roey Sartov, Gaston Hilman, Faris Abdulrasul, Ita Israel and Ricky Horvath.
Bottom row (from left to right): Evyatar Erez, Evgeny Kart, Yuval Levi, Beni Polnauer, Ilan Flax, Vlad Kart, Nico Perge, Jaime Kauffman, Tal Amar and Nadav Izmirili.
Football can be a very cruel game sometimes and we experienced that pain on Tuesday afternoon, following a heartbreaking defeat to the best team in Liga Gimmel.
Givatayim had won all 6 games up until this point; their hardest victory coming against us on the opening day of the season where they emerged as 2-0 winners. The league leaders are set to go up to Liga Bet with their squad of ex-professionals but they almost had a scare on their dominance of the league when they visited our home in Jaffa.
David Martane made some changes to his starting XI with a few defenders out injured, whilst also adjusting the shape to test a 5-4-1 formation against our opponents. The game got off to a flying start and the intensity didn't subside until the final whistle.
We were the better side in the first half, standing well in our new formation and causing them problems as we raced in the attack. There were chances galore, with the likes of Ron Sharifi, Evyatar Erez, Yuval Levi and Roey Sartov all being denied by the Givatayim goalkeeper.
Somehow it was the visitors who drew first blood, the legendary Carlos Chacana scoring a glorious free-kick giving Leo Gewertz no chance. However, we made sure to go into the break level; Ron found Yuval free in the box and he rounded the keeper to score into the empty net.
David had nothing but praise for our guys at half time, encouraging them to keep pushing and making some minor tactical changes. The second half followed suit and although Givatayim did see more of the ball, we looked comfortable in the back and it seemed that both sides would deservedly get a share of the spoils.
Yet, the referee pointed to the penalty spot when a Givatayim player went down in the box, prompting the Inter bench to contest in disbelief over the decision. The league leaders scored the resulting spot-kick and the match concluded shortly after.
The defeat means that victory in our remaining 5 games will guarantee 2nd place in the table, which would qualify us to make the playoffs for promotion.
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