Toto Cup kicks off with early fireworks

The 2026/27 Israeli soccer season officially began with the Toto Cup group stages, marked by early excitement and dramatic finishes, particularly in the Haifa derby. Hapoel Haifa emerged victorious over rivals Maccabi Haifa with a 3-2 scoreline after initially building a commanding 3-0 lead. The Carmel Reds had to withstand a late surge from the Greens, who scored twice in the second half and pressed hard for an equalizer in injury time.

“

Yaad has played so much since I arrived and rarely played. But he was given a chance, and he grabbed it with both hands. It’s up to him if he’s going to be an influential player for the team. The bottom line is, he took his chance and made the most of it.

Yaad Gonen opened the scoring for Hapoel Haifa in the 30th minute, followed by an own-goal that doubled their advantage. Alon Turgeman extended the lead with a second-half free kick, seemingly putting the match out of reach. However, Maccabi Haifa mounted a comeback with goals from Eyad Khalaili and Eitan Azulay, making for a tense finish.

Following the match, Hapoel Haifa's coach, Haim Silvas, praised Gonen for seizing his opportunity, stating, "He was given a chance, and he grabbed it with both hands." Gonen himself expressed joy over scoring his first senior goal, especially in a derby, highlighting the team's tactical readiness and mental fortitude.

“

We didn’t play well in the first half, and the guys who played didn’t do a great job. But in the second half we made some changes and did a much better job, especially the final 30 minutes. Our offense was stuck in the first half, and we saw some things that we will need to improve, and that’s what we will do over the next month or so. We know that this is just the Toto Cup and that we will look a lot better in time. It’s upsetting that we didn’t win, but we also have to put things into perspective.

Maccabi Haifa's coach, Barak Bachar, acknowledged his team's subpar first-half performance, noting that "the guys who played didn’t do a great job." He indicated that tactical changes in the second half improved their play, particularly in the final 30 minutes. Bachar stressed the need for improvement over the next month, accepting the loss while putting it in perspective as a Toto Cup match.

“

My celebration came about because I had finally scored as a senior player and it came in a derby; I had waited for this goal for such a long time. As a team we really came into the game ready to go; from a tactical side, we all knew what to do, and we were also there mentally to make sure we closed out the win.