On the very first competitive night of Israel's new season, it was a 16-year-old who made the history books. Yarin Abuhatzira came off the bench to score for Maccabi Netanya as they beat Hapoel Jerusalem 3-1 in the opening round of the Toto Cup, becoming, according to Sport5, the youngest goalscorer in the competition's history.
Netanya controlled large parts of the match, with Bassam Zarura also on the scoresheet and setting up a second goal on a night head coach Roni Levy could point to for both the present and the future of his squad.
"Abuhatzira? I think the kid is showing his ability in training and in practice matches, and it's very high," Levy said afterwards. "Because of that ability, he'll play and he'll get minutes."
It is the kind of endorsement that carries weight coming from Levy, who has already handed the teenager senior minutes and training-camp time this pre-season. Abuhatzira is the son of Shimon Abuhatzira, the former Israel international striker, and has torn through the club's youth ranks as a prolific finisher at every age group before breaking into first-team contention.
Levy was equally pleased with Zarura, praising the forward's physical presence as a weapon Netanya can lean on through the campaign.
The win capped a productive return for Levy himself, who is in his second spell in charge of Maccabi Netanya, the club where he grew up as a player. He was appointed in January on an 18-month deal to replace Yossi Abuksis, arriving after a spell at Hapoel Haifa and with a résumé that includes three straight Israeli titles at Maccabi Haifa in the mid-2000s.
It was a rougher evening for Hapoel Jerusalem, who fell behind early and never fully recovered. Manager Lior Zada, who only took over from Ziv Aryeh in April, admitted his side looked "in shock" for large stretches before finding a better level in the second half.
Goalkeeper Nadav Zamir, usually a reliable presence between the posts, also conceded he was uncharacteristically error-prone on the night.
For Netanya, the Toto Cup curtain-raiser offered an early glimpse of the kind of squad depth Levy will be counting on once the Ligat Ha'al season gets under way — with a teenage forward suddenly very much part of those plans.
