The 2002 Maccabi Haifa soccer club assured themselves a place in Israeli sports history last night by defeating Greek powerhouse Olympiakos Piraeus 3-0 in a first-round European Champions League match. Yesterday’s victory marks the first time an Israeli team has ever come out victorious in a Champions League game. Nigerian-born Ayegbini Ya’akoubu scored all of Haifa’s goals. The game was played in Nicosia, Cyprus, but was considered a home game for Maccabi Haifa because the UEFA soccer league, which runs the tournament, has banned matches from taking place in Israel due to the security situation. This was the fourth such Israeli game played in Cyprus, and all of them ended in shut-out victories for the Israeli team. 5,000 loyal Israeli fans arrived in Cyprus to cheer their team, giving Maccabi Haifa an "at home" feeling. Maccabi Haifa's future in the championship series, in which it is now 1-1 after its first-game loss to Manchester United 5-2, will be decided in its next game against Bayer Leverkusen of Germany.