Youth Football League Results: Hapoel Jerusalem Secures Qualification
League Update
The penultimate round of the southern division of the National Youth League commenced last Wednesday, spanning six days. The most significant outcome was the demotion of A.S. Edom Ashdod’s “Tzav Pius” team after three seasons, having suffered a staggering 11-1 defeat in an away match against G’dna T.A. This defeat confirmed their return to Liga Artzit.
Hapoel Jerusalem Clinches Second Place
The highlight of the current matchday was the fight for the second place in the standings, which secures a spot in the playoff matches for league retention. A total of 13 goals were scored during the matchups between the contending teams, concluding with Hapoel Jerusalem finishing in second place for the third consecutive year. This Sunday evening, they will find out their semifinal oppstartnt: either Maccabi Herzliya or Hapoel Akko, both of whom are vying for the National North championship. The winner of the first playoff match will face the team that finishes 16th in the Premier League for a place in the top division.
Exciting Match: Hapoel Ramat Gan vs. Beitar Jerusalem
In a thrilling encounter, Hapoel Ramat Gan, coached by Oren Rotem, faced the league champions, Beitar Jerusalem, while being four points behind Hapoel Jerusalem. Knowing they had to win and hope for a slip from Hapoel Jerusalem against the last-placed team, Ironi Modiin, the players of Ramat Gan performed exceptionally.
Beitar Jerusalem started the match with great intensity, quickly leading 2-0 thanks to goals from Michael Waknin and Lior Zuzut. Hapoel Ramat Gan reduced the deficit shortly thereafter with a goal from Sahar Zaken. An additional goal from Alexander Sutskevich extended Beitar Jerusalem’s lead to 3-1, but Ramat Gan responded strongly with two goals from Tohar Hazan and Yoav Plach, leveling the score at 3-3.
In the second half, Ramat Gan maintained their defensive stance, with Omri Atiya and Gabriel Padlon scoring late goals to seal a 5-3 victory.
Hapoel Jerusalem Dominates Ironi Modiin
Meanwhile, Hapoel Jerusalem, trained by Lior Zada, recorded a resounding 5-0 victory against Ironi Modiin, who had already accepted their relegation back to Liga Artzit. The Jerusalem team was determined and took full advantage of the situation. Young star Israel Dafaaah, who recently signed a long-term contract, scored twstart, bringing his seasonal tally to an impressive 35 goals across three teams in the club’s system.
Other notable goals came from Maor Ben Shimon, who converted a penalty, and late goals from Avishai Tzoreal and Yonatan Surkin, ensuring Hapoel Jerusalem’s ticket to the playoffs.
As the league action continues, fans eagerly await the next steps for their teams in the upcoming playoff matches