Be'er Sheva the real winners last night

 So last night I decided I wanted to watch something a bit different. Usually on Sunday evenings I'd watch whatever football match would be on the box so usually the late La Liga game, Serie A game or the occasional Ligue 1 or Liga NOS game. However last night I decided something different was needed. Flicking through the fixtures on various websites I came across a game that I said I'll give it a watch. That game was Maccabi Tel-Aviv v Hapoel Tel-Aviv, I had stumbled across a massive derby game in the Israeli football calendar.
Prior to finally watching the game I gave the table a seeing to and noticed it was a massive game for Maccabi's title hopes. Maccabi were six points behind Hapoel Be'er Sheva in the title race so a win in the derby was very much needed. Hapoel Tel-Aviv meanwhile were 12th and unlikely to make the top half split.

Aaron Schoenfeld put Hapoel in front

The game began pretty much Maccabi asserting dominance possession wise until that is Hapoel got the ball eventually and with a punt up front American striker Aaron Schoenfeld managed to poke the bouncing ball past Maccabi's highly rated Serbian keeper Pedrag Rajković. 1-0 to the visitors and I can imagine there was a massive cheer over in Be'er Sheva too. However that was only a blip for Maccabi as after that goal they continued to have the better of the ball and were camping in the Hapoel half. 
I had read a bit about Maccabi's star player Eran Zahavi and well his record speaks for itself this season. Twenty four goals in twenty one games. In fact in the past three seasons he has been hitting just shy of thirty league goals. Not bad for an attacking midfielder. Needless to say Zahavi was the man to watch for the Hapoel defense. 
The equalizing goal for Maccabi came twenty five minutes in when a cross from Dor Micha went straight in evading the Hapoel defense and the target Zahavi. Just before that goal there was a header from winger Tal Ben Haim II which narrowly missed the top corner. 

The 2nd half began pretty much the same as the 1st half ended, with Maccabi dominating proceedings. The ever impressive Haris Medunjanin in the center of midfield for Maccabi was spraying passes out to the wingers and getting them every time. Medunjanin is a player I have seen plenty of times before for Deportivo and he was the go to man for Maccabi in creating chances. The Bosnian was also starting to get some shots off but all his efforts were straight at the keeper.
Hapoel did have a small period of five or so minutes in the 2nd half were they were attacking and they forced a few corners but that was the sum total of their attacking forays. Maccabi controlled the game thereafter as they searched for the winner.
The chance would come, and it was the final action of the game. Right at the end of four added minutes Maccabi had a free-kick that was floated into the Hapoel box by Medunjanin and was met unmarked by midfielder Dor Peretz. Peretz' header went narrowly wide and that was the game and the two extra points. The stalemate leaves Maccabi five points behind Hapoel Be'er Sheva while for Hapoel Tel-Aviv it's a point that drags them out of the bottom two.

The league will split into two after 26 rounds of games. There the top 6 will play each other home and away while the bottom 8 teams play each other once. The bottom two teams at the end are relegated. 

Hapoel Be'er Sheva:

The leaders are very much trying to go one better. In the past three seasons Be'er Sheva have been a regular in the top three. While Maccabi Tel-Aviv have won the past three titles, Be'er Sheva have been the side closest to them. Last season they pushed Maccabi in the regular season before falling away after the split and eventually allowed Ironi Kiryat Schmona to nip ahead in 2nd place.
Ahead of the derby on Sunday, Be'er Sheva had beaten bottom side Maccabi Netanya to move six points ahead.

Historically Be'er Sheva are not one of the powers of Israeli football. They have only won two league titles in their history, the last of which was 1975-76. The club have only ever won the State cup once in 1997 and were a second division side as recently as 2008-09 when they were one of six sides promoted when the top division was expanded from twelve to sixteen sides.

Of the current squad their top scorer is veteran striker Elianiv Barda who has eleven goals which puts him second in the charts behind the prolific Eran Zahavi who has twenty-four goals. Nigerian striker Anthony Nwakaeme is the club's second top scorer with seven and fellow Nigerian John Ogu who scored in Saturday's win over Maccabi Netanya has two goals from midfield.
Defensively Be'er Sheva are very strong. They have only conceded thirteen goals and keeper Dudu Goresh has kept twelve clean sheets so far this season.