Maccabi Haifa defeated Slovan Bratislava 1-3 in the second leg of the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League and secured their advancement to the playoff stage. The Greens, who performed well, secured their spot with an aggregate score of 2-5 over the two legs and will face Young Boys from Switzerland in the battle for qualification to the group stage.
Three assists: A great evening for Charon Sherry
The Greens took the lead in the 29th minute. The one who scored the goal was the striker Piero, who has been outstanding in the preliminary matches. The striker hit the net after Charon Sherry's excellent lift into the box.
In the added time of the first half, Haifa doubled the lead and secured a promising advantage of 0-2. Sherry recorded another assist, delivering a perfectly placed through ball to Dia Saba, who scored up close and sent his teammates celebrating.
In the 87th minute, Bratislava narrowed the score, when Tolić was left alone in the box and subdued Itamar Nitzan. In extra time after the 90th minute, Sherry recorded his third assist on an excellent night for him, the captain handed it to Dean David who kicked the goal and set the game score 1-3 for Maccabi Haifa.
As mentioned, the greens have advanced to the playoff stage (the final stage of the qualifiers), where they will attempt to defeat Young Boys, the Swiss champions, and qualify for the group stage of the Champions League, for the second consecutive season.