Ashdod SC finds temporary salvation in Sakhnin victory
By Ali Gali
In the clash yesterday of two clubs going in very different directions, Ashdod SC managed to salvage its season at the expense of Bnei Sakhnin's European dreams with a 2-1 triumph. Doha Stadium likely saw the last of Meir Buzaglo, Ilya Yavroyan and John Culma, while it bid adieu to coach Elisha Levy before its smallest crowd of the season - 1,500. It was almost as if the fans have given up on this season after its promising start.
Levy brought two successful seasons to the city but couldn't drop off his club at its next destination, the UEFA Cup. The coach left the stadium disappointed both with the game and the fans as Ashdod leapt from the relegation zone to eighth place.
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The game opened with both sides attacking on offense. Sakhnin had the upper hand at first but missed out on several scoring opportunities. Ashdod needed just one chance in the 43rd minute for midfielder Moshe Ohayon to beat the keeper.
Sakhnin tried to get back into the match in the second half, putting on constant pressure, but once again could not show anything for its efforts. Instead Ashdod, which was hanging back on defense, waited for the opportunity to make a lightning strike that came in the 73rd minute. Ohayon once again broke out and drove home the game's second goal. Ashdod then seemed to let its guard down, which allowed Sakhnin to cut the lead back to 2-1. But Sakhnin could get no closer and will now have to wait for next week to see if it can still secure a UEFA Cup spot.
Disappointed
"I'm very disappointed," said Levy. "It's a pity we didn't secure a spot in Europe. Ashdod fought and won. It's not every season one gets the chance to go to Europe. The fans disappeared because we got used to only doing well."
Ohayon said after the game, "We pulled of an important game and won a sweet victory." While expressing confidence Ashdod will avert relegation now, a member of management pushed him into the locker room yelling, "We've still got one game, keep the press away from us!"
Replacing Ashdod below the red line is Hapoel Kfar Sava, which dug too deep a hole to get out of in losing 3-2 to Maccabi Tel Aviv. Alain Masudi opened the scoring in the 45th minute, while Yannick Kamanan doubled the lead just three minutes into the second half. Lior Jan made the lead insurmountable in the 71st minute, leaving Kfar Sava's two late goals meaningless.
Kfar Sava, while level on points with Maccabi Petah Tikva, trails in points and now must win and hope one of its rivals falters next week to avoid relegation.
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