Maccabi Netanya's Toto Cup run ended on Sunday night with a 1-0 semi-final defeat to Maccabi Tel Aviv, but defender Amit Cohen came away insisting the display, not the scoreline, is the truer guide to where his club is heading this season.
"We played an excellent match, it's a frustrating loss and we could have gotten more from this game," Cohen said afterwards, according to ONE. "We're very disappointed we didn't manage to do it."
A single goal from Maccabi Tel Aviv was enough to send the yellow-and-blue through to face Hapoel Tel Aviv in the Toto Cup final, a derby showpiece, while Netanya were left to reflect on a performance they felt deserved more, particularly after dominating long stretches of the second half without finding the finish to match.
For Cohen, the takeaway is less about the exit and more about what it signals for the league campaign to come. "If we play like this in the league, we'll have a good season," he said, before setting out the club's benchmark for the year: "At minimum, reach the upper playoff, compete for Europe and the cup."
It is a pointed marker for a club that spent last season on the outside of the top six, missing out on both the prestige and the roughly one million shekels in bonus money that comes with a top-flight playoff finish. Under coach Roni Levy, Netanya have made no secret of wanting to close that gap and re-establish themselves among Israel's leading clubs.
Cohen, 27, re-signed with Netanya through the 2027/28 season earlier this year, tying his own future to that project after returning to the club having previously come through on loan at Beitar Jerusalem.
The build-up to the Maccabi Tel Aviv tie was not without friction off the pitch. Netanya handed season-ticket holders free entry to the semi-final as a gesture to supporters, but a section of the fan base has been openly critical of CEO Gil Lev, with protests at the club's training ground and, according to Israeli reports, outside his home in the days before kick-off.
There was also transfer business in the background: winger Wilian Ciprian, a January arrival from France, is understood to have turned down an approach from Ironi Tiberias, with his representatives now expected to explore other options before the window shuts.
None of that dented the mood around Cohen's post-match comments, which read as a rallying call rather than an alibi. Netanya open their Israeli Premier League season looking to prove that Sunday's fight, if not the result, is the template for the months ahead.
