Shock for Sami Ofer: Maccabi Haifa surrendered to MS Ashdod in the final minutes.

Maccabi Haifa hosted MS Ashdod last night (Sunday, March 9.3.2025, XNUMX) – last in the standings, in a game that closed the regular season.
The game started off with a bang, and in the third minute, a Haifa goal after a corner kick was disallowed due to offside.
About ten minutes later, Ashdod's attack had two dangerous opportunities to take the lead, but luckily for the Greens, the ball went out of bounds.
In the 15th minute, Lior Refaalov lifted a ball into the box from a free kick, the ball hit Roy Elimelech's head and went out. About five minutes later, Dea Saba lifted a corner kick out of the box, the ball hit the feet of defender Alexander Sirota who kicked the ball towards goal, but Ashdod's goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with his hands.
In the 44th minute, just before the end of the first half, Dolev Haziza again lifted a ball to the center of the box, found Elimelech's head, and this time the ball went in, but was again disallowed due to an offside claim.
After several failed and inaccurate opportunities by the Greens, in addition to two disallowed goals, the Ashdod players did not lose hope and in the 45th minute took advantage of a lack of concentration in the Haifa defense to score a surprising lead goal.

Haifa returned to the second half full of goals, and after several attempts to equalize, they finally managed to find the net in the 68th minute – Dolev Haziza lifted a great ball to the head of Guy Melamed, who hit it in and established a deserved equalizer with his first goal in the green uniform.
The Greens pressed in an attempt to turn the score around, but it was actually Ashdod that dictated the dramatic ending: In the 76th minute, Kiyof managed to find the net, but this time too the goal was disallowed due to an offside claim, and in the 89th minute, a cross found a free Ashdod player, who sent a precise shot into the net, making it 2:1.
The crushing loss in a home game against the bottom team in the standings left Maccabi Haifa and its fans stunned, disappointed and frustrated. Maccabi Haifa may no longer be able to win a title this season, but its fans still hope for a significant change and to see a more precise, committed and hungry team in the decisive stages of the season.