JERUSALEM, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Israeli football champions Maccabi Tel Aviv won the Israeli Super Cup for the eighth time after beating State Cup holders Maccabi Petah Tikva 2-0 on Monday night.
With new Serbian head coach Zarko Lazetic, Tel Aviv dominated the match despite missing five players from the Israeli Olympic national team preparing for the 2024 Paris Games.
Striker Eran Zahavi, former top scorer and MVP of the Chinese Super League, opened scoring in the 14th minute after Gabi Kanichowsky's accurate pass in front of 17,000 fans at Bloomfield Stadium in Tel Aviv-Yafo.
The result was doubled in the 94th minute, with Nadav Niddam, who came on just a minute earlier, assisting another substitute Matan Hozez to seal the result.
Maccabi Tel Aviv will play next week in Bucharest against Romanian champions FCSB in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, while Petah Tikva will meet Braga in Portugal in the second qualifying round of the Europa League. ■
