Hapoel take State Cup honours

Hapoel Tel-Aviv FC won the Israeli State Cup for the 13th time in their history, defeating ten-man Bnei Yehuda Tel-Aviv FC 3-1 at the Ramat Gan National stadium.

A man-of-the-match performance from Gil Vermouth, who scored two spectacular goals, inspired Hapoel to victory. Vermouth gave Hapoel a 25th-minute lead with a solo effort only for team-mate Douglas da Silva to put through his own net a quarter of an hour later.

The showpiece turned on the stroke of half-time, however, when Bnei Yehuda goalkeeper Dele Aiyenugba was dismissed for fouling Etey Schechter, allowing Hapoel No1 Vincent Enyeama to do the necessary from the spot. Vermouth's second of the match, 16 minutes from time, confirmed victory for Eli Gutman's side.

Gutman, who won the competition in 1997 with Hapoel Beer-Sheva FC, said: "This team is the best team ever in Israeli football. We lost only one match in the domestic season and that was to Maccabi Haifa. It's a sweet end to an amazing season in which the team won its Europa League group ahead of clubs like Hamburg, Rapid Vienna and Celtic. We have an amazing group of players which deserve all the credit in the world."