Maccabi Haifa edge out Red Star in five-goal thriller
The opening stages of this game said a lot about what both sides' intentions were, with Maccabi Haifa doing most of the early running and Red Star happy to sit in and soak up the pressure.
However, the Serbian’s were only able to resist Maccabi’s onslaught for 18 minutes, when the relentless pressure eventually bore fruits, with Frantzdy Pierrot twisting and turning in the box before slamming home from close-range.
Maccabi should undoubtedly have been more than one goal ahead, but they were pegged back by a freak Red Star goal, when Aleksandar Katai’s strike looked to be saling wide but inadvertently deflected in off his strike partner Aleksandar Pesic to level the scores.
They may have been slow out of the blocks, but Red Star grew into the game and took perhaps a deserved lead into the break courtesy of Guelor Kanga’s measured effort, which curled beyond the reach of Josh Cohen.
Pierrot was a constant thorn in Red Star’s side, and the Haitian frontman was influential in Maccabi’s equaliser, stooping down to direct Dolev Haziza's wicked cross beyond Milan Borjan.
Having been on the receiving end of the comeback, Maccabi were keen to complete one of their own, and they did so in scintillating fashion, when Tjaronn Chery produced a moment of magic to rifle home from the edge of the area.
A 3-2 scoreline could strangely suit both sides and almost certainly leaves it all to play for next week in Belgrade. This game was almost a must-win for Maccabi, who travel to Serbia knowing a draw will see them through to the group stages after extending their remarkable European home record to 11 wins in 17.
As for Red Star, they will still feel it’s all to play for next week, but with the away goals rule abolished, they will need to win by two clear goals to secure a victory in normal time.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Frantzdy Pierrot (Maccabi Haifa)
