.png)
With the ongoing situation in the Middle East, the focus could have been elsewhere, but it was important for the Leeds Jewish student community that Hapoel secured another three points.
There was a strong expression of unity shown by the Hapoel players, standing proudly with the Israeli flag before the game and continuing on from the vigil held in Millennium Square.
Mental health is a key concern within the community, and with football as an outlet, everything can go away for 90 minutes.
Leeds Jsoc have also created a new woman’s team this year, giving more Jewish students access to football. These opportunities allow students to use sport as an avenue for stress relief, which is especially important during a time of adversity.
After a perfect start to the season with a 4-0 win, Hapoel wanted to get another three points on the board after what had been an incredibly tough week.
During the opening 15 minutes, there were several chances for both teams but the deadlock was yet to be broken with the closest chance being from Jonothan Daniel, hitting the chance wide after a great ball played through.
Soon after, J.Daniel was able to put the team one up following a mistake at the back and with great pressing from Toby Anthony.
New signing Jonah Hirschel then slotted it past the goalkeeper with a brilliant finish, making it 2-0 after making a brilliant run down the line.
Minutes after coming on, Zac Gold successfully won Hapoel a penalty , where Josh Morris stepped up to take the penalty but forced a good save from the opposition goalkeeper.
Hapoel ended the first half two goals up. After being dominated for the first 20 minutes, the team were able to really find their feet.
A great chance from their opponents looked to be going in, but goalkeeper Jamie Margolis was able to sweep across and get it off the line.
Jonah Hirschel once again tapped it past a defender, Hapoel’s third of the day
Jake Zemmel, last week’s man of the match made a brilliant run, beat three players before cutting back to the edge of the box where Jonah Hirschel smashed it in the top corner, making it 4-0 to Hapoel and becoming part of the club's history, scoring the club’s first hattrick and putting the game to bed.
Toby Anthony made it 5-0 with another great finish, finishing the game and giving Hapoel maximum points
Manager Jasper van Veen reflected on a great team performance, and told his players to consider the struggles of other people around the world during these tough times.
With back-to-back wins and clean sheets, van Veen will certainly struggle to pick his team sheet in the future.
Comments