Israel round-up: Salvation for Beitar

Beitar Jerusalem earned a 1-1 draw against champions Maccabi Haifa on Saturday to escape relegation on the last day of the season.

Relief for Beitar
After a tense opening period which saw chances go begging at both ends, Beitar opened the scoring after 66 minutes through Serhiy Konovalov. The Ukrainian winger shook off Arik Benado's challenge before curling a left foot drive beyond the reach of Maccabi goalkeeper Dudu Awat to bring relief to the home crowd at the Teddy Stadium.

Tense finish
However, although the visitors did not look at their best, they still managed to equalise with 13 minutes of the game left. Yossi Benayoun, who was playing his final league match before joining Spanish outfit Racing Santander next season, levelled the score with a fierce left-foot shot from the edge of the area.

Haifa go down
A 1-1 draw was not enough for Hapoel Haifa, however, as a draw at home against Maccabi Tel-Aviv saw them relegated from the Ligat ha-Al. Baruch Dago put the visitors ahead after just 12 minutes, and although Zachi Tubi's 71st-minute equaliser gave Haifa hope, they could not find a winning goal.
 
Top-flight newcomers
In Saturday's final top flight game, Maccabi Kiriat-Gat ended their first season in the top flight on a low note as they lost 3-1 at Hapoel Beer-Sheva and were relegated as the Israeli Premier League's bottom side. Hapoel Kfar Sava and Bnei Yehuda won promotion to the top flight with wins today and will hope to have better luck than Kiriat-Gat next season.