Olympiacos will find an opponent… in his own right in front of him in the final of the Challenge Cup.
Maccabi Tel Aviv qualified for the final of the European competition for the first time in its career and will face the “red and white” in double matches that will take place March 8 and 15the first in Israel and the rematch in Greece.
Maccabi is Israel’s biggest team with 13 championships and eight Cups, while counting six doubles. Its seat is Hadar Yosef Hall in Tel Aviv, 1400-seat stadium and is the owner of the championship and the Cup in the country.
Its path to the final, which includes PAOK
This year’s course of the Israeli team started from the Challenge Cup qualifiers. Her first opponent was It’s rainingagainst which they prevailed 3-0 home and away.
It continued with comfortable wins against Hungary as well Veggieswith 3-1, while then she found opposite her PAOK. In the first match in Tel Aviv, the Thessalonikians made it difficult for the Israelis, winning the first set 27-25. Maccabi easily took the next two (25-22, 25-17) and then it was… massacre, with the home team winning 32-30.
There was also a great battle in the second match in Thessaloniki. Maccabi took control of the score and led 1-0 and 2-1 (15-25, 21-25) with PAOK tying the score at 2-2 (25-21, 26-24). The qualification was already decided, with Maccabi winning the match 15-13 in the tie break.
The next opponent was Concord, against which it prevailed 3-0 in Israel in a match marked by incidents and 3-1 in Cyprus, while in the semi-finals it faced the Portuguese Bastardo, against which it experienced its first defeat. In particular, they prevailed 3-1 in the first match and were defeated in the tie-break in the second.
Her story
Maccabi was founded in 1972, in 1976 it won its first championship, while in 1982 came the second title. In the 1984-85 season the team was relegated to the second division and immediately returned, but it became.. an elevator. He spent a year in the first division, was relegated again and… came back after a year away.
The 90’s were “golden” for Maccabi, as they celebrated five titles. He did it back to back in 1990 and 1991, while in 1993 and 1998 he won two Cups. In 1997, he celebrated winning the fifth championship.
A change in the team’s administrative leadership and coached by their former star, Zohar Bar Netzer, Maccabi achieved new successes and laid the foundations to become unbeatable. In particular, he was at the top from 2007 to 2011, years in which he celebrated five of the six doubles he has won so far.
In 2015 came a new change in the administrative leadership of the team, with the budget being significantly reduced. In 2016 he won the title and was a finalist in the Cup, while the following year he was a finalist in both competitions. The successes continued in 2021, winning the championship, while last year he had an impressive year, in which won the double undefeated.
Championships (13); , 2021/2022
Cups(8): 1992/1993, 1997/1998, 2007/2008, 2008/2009, 2009/2010, 2010/2011, 2011/2012, 2020/2021
Its European presence
Her European presence so far has caused anything but… terror. In the 2008/2009 season they participated in the Challenge Cup and qualified for the second round after Bratislava withdrew. It was then eliminated after two defeats by Italian side Treviso.
In the second round, her European presence was completed in the following season, while in 2010/2011 she participated in the CEV Cup, from which she was eliminated with “good morning”. She continued her European adventure in the Challenge Cup, reaching the last 16.
In 2011/2012 it was eliminated from the first round of the CEV Cup by Lamia and reached the quarter-finals of the Challenge Cup. Accordingly, in 2016-2017 it reached the eight best teams of the competition.
The roster
1. Emmanuel Iglesias Pastrana Arturo (Puerto – Rico / 27, 1.94 , Passer)
3. Samuel Bridge Burgi (USA / 22, 1.94, Extreme)
4. Yegor Motorny (27, 1.95, Extreme)
6. Viatcheslav Batckala (38, 2.05, Central)
7. Joshua Ayzenberg (USA/ 36, 1.73, Libero)
9. Gianluca Grasso (Brazil/ 27, 1.85, Extreme)
12. Nikita Maron (Israel-Ukraine / 17, 2.02, Central)
13. Alexander Safonov (Ukraine /31, 2.10, Central)
14. Jhon Herlson Caringal (Philippines /28, 1.74 – Libero)
15. Kevin Maximilian Foyer (Germany / 32, 2.00 – Extreme)
16. Roei Horovitz (20, 1.84, Passer)
18. Genadi Sokolov (Israel -30, 2.02, Central).
At the helm is Gal Galili, who also coaches the Israeli women’s national team. Their assistants are Yoel Omer and Liber Asaf.
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
