zahavi strikes as maccabi tel-aviv make history published: thursday 12 december 2013, 20.51cet
maccabi tel-aviv fc 1-0 fc girondins de bordeaux
eran zahavi converted a 74th-minute penalty as the israeli champions extended their european campaign into the new year for the first time.
maccabi tel-aviv fc will play european football in the spring for the first time after sealing their place in the uefa europa league round of 32 with a 1-0 victory.
the israeli champions went into the game knowing a point against eliminated fc girondins de bordeaux would confirm progress from group f, but they were clearly unwilling to leave anything to chance. paulo sousa's side missed a host of chances, yet they were finally able to relax a little when eran zahavi converted a 74th-minute penalty, matthieu chalmé having caught munas dabbur with a high foot that also brought the defender a red card.
amid driving rain, both sides could perhaps be forgiven the leaden start, though bordeaux's experimental lineup eventually found a spring in their step as their young players sought to leave their mark. a more familiar name then came close to making a telling impression on 32 minutes, diego rolán springing the offside trap to meet a perfectly timed through ball, only for juan pablo to block at his feet.
maccabi tel-aviv, hitherto content to soak up pressure, now had their wake-up call and immediately stepped up a gear. barak itzhaki was their driving force, heading one chance over and another wide before half-time. soon after the restart, he went closer still, reacting quickest when maharan radi's free-kick was deflected but steering his effort just beyond a post.
by now, maccabi were camped in the bordeaux half, dominating possession if not creating many clear-cut opportunities. until, that is, chalmé's raised foot caught dabbur in the face and the referee pointed to the spot. zahavi duly converted as maccabi sealed second spot in group f and a place in monday's draw.
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