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 victory by an Israeli team in a Champions League game. Nigerian-born Ayegbini Ya’akoubu scored all of Haifa’s goals. Maccabi Haifa's future in the championship series, following its first-game loss to Manchester United by a score of 5-2, will be decided in its next game against Bayer Leverkusen of Germany.
Last night's game was played in Nicosia, Cyprus, but was considered a home game for Maccabi Haifa because the UEFA soccer league 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 teams. 5,000 loyal Israeli fans arrived in Cyprus to cheer their team, giving Maccabi Haifa an "at home" feeling.
Last night's game was played in Nicosia, Cyprus, but was considered a home game for Maccabi Haifa because the UEFA soccer league 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 teams. 5,000 loyal Israeli fans arrived in Cyprus to cheer their team, giving Maccabi Haifa an "at home" feeling.