2023–24 Israel State Cup

Maccabi Petah Tikva entered the 2023–24 edition of the State Cup as a club without a cup title since 1952, having previously won the competition in 1935 and 1952.[1] Hapoel Be'er Sheva, their opponents in the final, had finished third in the Israeli league, a result that later secured the club a place in UEFA Conference League qualifying.[2]

The four semifinalists were Maccabi Petah Tikva, Hapoel Nof HaGalil, Maccabi Netanya, and Hapoel Be'er Sheva.[3] The two semifinal matches were scheduled six days apart — on 24 and 30 April — with the interval arranged to allow a more complete security operation around each fixture.[3]

Maccabi Petah Tikva's route

Petah Tikva's cup run opened with one of the competition's more dramatic early ties. In the round of 32, facing Maccabi Yavne, Ibaraheem Jaber put Petah Tikva ahead before Omer Laku equalized deep in second-half injury time, apparently forcing extra time from a losing position.[4] Liran Hazan then scored twice in the additional period to seal a 3–1 win.[4] Hazan continued to find the net at every subsequent stage: Petah Tikva beat Hapoel Haifa 3–0 in the round of 16, defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 4–2 after extra time in the quarterfinal, and then overcame Hapoel Nof HaGalil 3–0 in the semifinal.[3][5]

That semifinal, played on 30 April in Netanya, was settled without drama. Maor Levy opened the scoring with a free kick in the 19th minute, an own goal from Dolev Azulay doubled the lead in the 39th, and Hazan headed the third in the 63rd minute.[5] The 17-year-old Hazan had by then scored in every round of the tournament.[5]

Hapoel Be'er Sheva's route

Be'er Sheva's path to the final began with a 1–0 win over Beitar Jerusalem, followed by successive 1–0 victories over Ironi Tiberias in the round of 16 and Hapoel Petah Tikva in the quarterfinal.[3] Their semifinal against Maccabi Netanya proved far more eventful: the match stood at 2–2 after 90 minutes and was still level going into the final moments of extra time.[6] In the 122nd minute, Dainer Quiñones volleyed home after a corner sequence, the ball deflecting off Kerem Jaber before crossing the line, to send Be'er Sheva through 3–2.[6] The match was played at Bloomfield Stadium before 26,833 spectators.[6]

Hapoel Nof HaGalil

Nof HaGalil's run was notable in its own right: the club beat Hapoel Acre 2–1 in round seven, defeated Hapoel Herzliya 4–0 in the round of 32, edged Hapoel Rishon LeZion 3–1 in the round of 16, and beat Kiryat Shmona 2–0 in the quarterfinal — reaching the State Cup semifinals for the first time in the club's history.[3]

The final was played on 30 May 2024 at Bloomfield Stadium, with 29,420 supporters attending.[1] The match remained goalless through most of the second half. A turning point arrived in the 74th minute when Be'er Sheva captain Miguel Vítor was forced off injured.[7]

Shortly before the final whistle, Petah Tikva's Luka Štór attempted to get beyond André Poko inside the penalty area; the ball struck Poko's hand, and the referee awarded a penalty.[7] Mohammad Hindi stepped up and converted in the 86th minute, giving Maccabi Petah Tikva a 1–0 lead that they held to the final whistle.[1] The win delivered Petah Tikva their third State Cup title and ended a 72-year gap since their 1952 triumph.[1]

Maccabi Petah Tikva's cup victory earned the club a place in the second qualifying round of the 2024–25 UEFA Europa League.[2] They were later eliminated after ties against Braga and Cluj.[8] Hapoel Be'er Sheva, by virtue of finishing third in the Israeli league, was allocated a berth in the second qualifying round of the UEFA Conference League.[2]

Contemporary accounts consistently framed Maccabi Petah Tikva's victory as the club's third State Cup title and the end of a 72-year wait.[1] Walla Sport identifies the earlier triumphs as 1935 and 1952, while ONE's final report uses two different season labels: 1951/52 in its subheading and 1952/54 in the article body.[7] The common historical point across the reports is that the 2024 win was the club's first since the early 1950s.[1][7]