Maccabi Haifa downed by Benfica 2-0 as Champions League push kicks off
Israeli team’s woes in European soccer tournament continue, with Lisbon side able to score goals in quick succession despite solid first half defense; next up: Messi and PSG
Joshua Davidovich is The Times of Israel's Deputy Editor
The Maccabi Haifa soccer team fell 2-0 to Portuguese squad Benfica Tuesday night, picking up its Champion’s League campaign where it left off the last time it appeared in the group stage of the top-flight European tournament: unable to get the ball in the net.
Facing the longest of odds in a group that also includes superstar-loaded Paris Saint-Germain and Italian powerhouse Juventus, Haifa still managed to keep pace with Benfica for much of the game, but was unable to overcome two goals in quick succession shortly after halftime.
The Israeli squad is in the UEFA Champions League group stage for the first time since 2009-2010, when it won the dubious distinction of becoming the first team ever to fail to score a single goal or notch a draw in all six matches.
Benfica, which has hoisted the Champions League trophy twice in its history, was nonetheless considered Haifa’s best chance for an upset. For the first 45 minutes at Lisbon’s Estadio da Luz, Maccabi’s defense managed to keep the Portuguese team off balance, allowing only a single shot on goal.
Things changed quickly after halftime, though, with Benfica striker Rafa Silva directing an assist from Alejandro Grimaldo past a diving Josh Cohen in the 49th minute.
Maccabi had a chance to even the score three minutes later, but Tjaronn Chery’s shot sailed high, and moments after that, Grimaldo put the game away for good with a screaming strike just under the crossbar.
Maccabi manager Barak Bakhar admitted that his team wasn’t used to Benfica’s fast-paced attack, calling them the “better team.”
“We had our chances but didn’t take them, the pace was higher than what we are used to, but we will make fixes and come back ready for the next match,” he told Sport 5.
Maccabi’s next chance to score a goal, or even win, will come on September 14, when the team hosts French super-squad PSG, bringing Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé to Sammy Ofer Stadium in the bay city.
PSG downed Juve 2-1 on two goals from Mbappé Tuesday, kicking off a campaign that many predict could end with a first-ever Champions League trophy.
The top two teams in each group will advance after playing each other twice over the next several months.
Haifa squeaked into the group stage last month on a 90th-minute own goal by Belgrade, setting off jubilant celebrations in Haifa and elsewhere in Israel, where soccer successes have been few and far between.
The team is the first from Israel to make it the Champions League group stage three times. No Israeli team has ever advanced past the group stage.
Among the 32 teams included in the tournament, Maccabi Haifa is ranked lowest, according to UEFA ranking based on European results in the past five seasons.
The Times of Israel Community.