Hapoel Kfar Saba vs Maccabi Kabilio Jaffa

Hapoel Kfar Saba made the brighter start and took a deserved lead in the 27th minute through Y. Hamo, who found the net to put the Greens 1-0 up. The lead lasted just ten minutes — Maccabi Kabilio Jaffa responded in the 37th minute to level the scores at 1-1, where it remained until half-time.

The second half followed a similar pattern. R. Harel put Hapoel Kfar Saba back in front with a 62nd-minute strike, giving the home side a 2-1 advantage with under half an hour to play. But Maccabi Kabilio Jaffa refused to fold and found an 89th-minute equaliser, ensuring the spoils were shared.

No cards were recorded in the match, reflecting a clean, competitive friendly with both sides prioritising match fitness over aggression.

The 89th-minute equaliser denied Hapoel Kfar Saba what would have been a morale-boosting pre-season win. Having led twice — first through Hamo, then through Harel — the Greens were unable to close out the game, with Maccabi Kabilio Jaffa's persistence rewarded in the dying minutes. The timing of the goal, with regular time almost expired, left the home side with no time to respond.

Y. Hamo (Hapoel Kfar Saba) — Opened the scoring with a composed 27th-minute finish and led the line effectively before being substituted.

R. Harel (Hapoel Kfar Saba) — Restored the home side's lead in the 62nd minute with a well-taken goal, giving his team a platform they ultimately could not hold.

Player of the Match: Not officially awarded — with both sides contributing two goals apiece and no standout individual performance in the absence of detailed match data, the honours are shared across both attacking units.

The match page records no cards, suggesting a clean, competitive friendly with both sides prioritising match fitness over aggression. The 2-2 scoreline reflects the even nature of the contest — both teams scored in each half, with the away side's late response the only separating factor. The fixture's historical data (nine meetings since 2022, 78% both-teams-to-score rate, 67% over-2.5-goals rate) aligns perfectly with the outcome: this was a characteristically open encounter between two familiar opponents.

Both sides are building towards the 2026/27 Liga Leumit season, Israel's second tier. Hapoel Kfar Saba competed in the promotion group in 2025/26, demonstrating top-half ambitions, while Maccabi Kabilio Jaffa finished in the relegation/promotion round. Pre-season results carry limited weight, but the draw offers each side a useful fitness benchmark before the campaign proper begins.

Neither club had announced their next pre-season fixture at the time of writing. The Liga Leumit season is expected to begin in late August 2026.

A typical pre-season friendly that served its purpose: both sides got minutes, both scored twice, and neither suffered a morale-denting defeat. Hapoel Kfar Saba will be the more frustrated at having led twice, but Maccabi Kabilio Jaffa's late resilience was a positive takeaway. The even contest tells a fair story — two Liga Leumit sides at a similar stage of preparation, producing a result that neither could complain about.