Photo courtesy of Maccabi Haifa
AMSTERDAM — The dream Israeli season continued for Bryan Gerzicich and Hapoel Ironi Kiryat Shmona on Tuesday, with the defending Toto Cup Al champs booking their return to the final with a thrilling 2-1 overtime win against final four guests Hapoel Be'er Sheva.
The Los Angeles native got a rare night off from starting duty, but came on with the game tied 11 minutes from penalty kicks. An Ahmed Abed strike in the 119th minute propelled the northern upstarts into a Jan. 25 cup title bout in Ramat Gan against Hapoel Tel Aviv.
With the result, Ironi Kiryat Shmona posted their sixth consecutive home victory and extended their unbeaten run across all competitions to 21 games. The league leaders are trying to become the first Israeli club to score a Ligat Ha'Al and Toto Cup Al double since Maccabbi Haifa pulled the feat in 2006.
