Maccabi Netanya's perfect start to the season came to an abrupt end on Sunday, as newly promoted Hapoel Ramat Gan Giv'atayim came from behind to win 3-2 at Netanya Stadium in the Toto Cup group stage. It was the manner of the loss, more than the result itself, that stung: three goals conceded from two headers and a penalty against a side that had never played top-flight football before this season.
Luan Campos headed Ramat Gan in front in the 33rd minute, but Matheus Dabo levelled six minutes later, finishing off a through ball from Maor Levi. David Asuka restored the visitors' lead with another header just after the hour, and Maxim Palkoshchenko put Ramat Gan 3-1 up from the penalty spot in the 61st minute. Palkoshchenko, a former Netanya player who was honoured with a pre-match tribute, chose not to celebrate against his old club. Dabo's second goal, in the 87th minute, set up a tense finish but arrived too late to salvage a point.
According to ONE, the club's own post-match assessment was unusually blunt for a preseason cup tie. "We cannot concede goals like that and go back to last year," a club statement said, "we need to stop this and solve the problem" — a pointed reference to the defensive frailties that undermined Netanya for long stretches of last season.
Defender Beni Feldman echoed the frustration on the pitch. "This wasn't a good enough game," he said. "I think our pressing wasn't good enough, and we'll need to move and control the game more."
The 3-2 defeat ended a run of two straight wins to open Netanya's Toto Cup campaign and left Hapoel Ramat Gan, promoted over the summer, still unbeaten in Group B.
Feldman, a young centre-back who signed a contract extension through the 2027/28 season and has been earning regular minutes under coach Roni Levi, was also asked about his own progress and the club's ambitions. "I'm integrating well and working hard in training and outside of it," he said. Asked about the target for the season, he did not hedge: "We are aiming for Europe."
Behind the scenes, ONE reports Netanya's management is working to bring in reinforcements at centre-back, with the club potentially even looking at two new foreign defenders. The expectation inside the club, according to the report, is that once a foreign centre-back arrives, one of the current Israeli options in that position could leave.
There was a bright spot amid the defeat: Dolev Haziza made his first competitive appearance for Maccabi Netanya, coming off the bench in the 65th minute. He almost scored with his first touch before being denied by the Ramat Gan goalkeeper, and later teed up Dabo's late second goal.
Missing from the squad was Bassem Za'arura, whose strong start to the season has reportedly caught the eye of clubs abroad — ONE named Polish side Lech Poznań among those interested in the midfielder. Israeli defender Itay Ben Shabbat also did not feature.
For Netanya, the group-stage cup defeat carries little direct cost beyond pride and points, but the club's own words suggest the alarm is about pattern, not just one bad afternoon: a young squad still finding its identity under Levi, and a defence the club itself says cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of a difficult 2025/26.
