On the Road to Panevėžys – Another National Giant

2024-08-05 15:17 © Pauliaus Židonio

"Panevėžys” football club will compete for the first time in the UEFA Europa League qualifying matches, where they will face an opponent from a familiar country. For the second consecutive year, the team from Panevėžys will clash with representatives from Israel – facing the barrier of Tel Aviv’s "Maccabi”.

The team from the capital of Aukštaitija will meet the most titled team of the state for the second time this season. Like Helsinki's HJK, "Maccabi” players have won the most trophies in the local championship – 25. The club's logo has slightly changed to reflect this title, adorned with a fifth star – which the team adds every fifth time they triumph in the Israeli championships.

Last season, "Maccabi” confidently achieved their goal. With a total of 85 points, the Tel Aviv team outscored Haifa's "Maccabi” by 11 points and surpassed the "Hapoel” from Beer Sheva that "Panevėžys” faced by 24 points in 2023. Last year, the team was led by two well-known former footballers – Spaniard Aitor Karanka and Irishman Robbie Keane.

The latter ended his work with the Israeli club in June of this year, replaced by Serbian Žarko Lazetić. The local specialist has not coached since 2012. 42-year-old Ž. Lazetić celebrated a 2:0 victory over Petach Tikva's "Maccabi” last month and was pleased to have won the Super Cup, but in the second round of the Champions League qualifying matches, they had to concede to Bucharest’s FCSB with an aggregate score of 1:2.

"Maccabi” players have participated in the Champions League group stage twice, in the UEFA Europa League group stage five times, and a couple of times in the Conference League. Last season, the Israeli club advanced to the group stage of the latter tournament and triumphed in Group B, gathering 15 points there. In the Round of 16, the "yellow” team lost to Olympiacos of Piraeus only after extra time, who later triumphed in the last season's Conference League.

In international competitions, "Maccabi” has faced opponents from Lithuania multiple times. In 1999, they defeated FBK "Kaunas” with an aggregate score of 4:3, and a couple of years later, they easily passed the barrier of Vilnius "Žalgiris” – with a score of 7:0. In 2019, Marijampolė's "Sūduva” won both matches 2:1 and advanced further, however, in the next season, Tel Aviv's footballers achieved revenge by winning 3:0 in a one-match series in the Champions League.

The foundation of the "Maccabi” team consists of local players, among whom the most notable is 37-year-old captain Eran Zahavi. The forward still represents his national team – where he is the top scorer with 35 goals.

The match between "Panevėžys” and "Maccabi” will take place on August 6, Tuesday. The duel will begin at LFF Stadium at 19:30.