By, Anonymous
1 min read
ByAnonymous, Anonymous
Dan Lipman was the hero as Maccabi London Lions B booked their place in the fourth round of the Herts Intermediate Cup with a penalty shoot-out win over Eight Bells.
The MGBSFL second division title hopefuls found themselves 1-0 down as a result of a neat passing move after 15 minutes.
Lions responded positively and pushed forward, with Benji Weinberger firing two shots against the woodwork - one a 20-yard effort rattling the bar, and the other, a scissor volley hitting the post.
The equaliser came soon after through Weinberger as the ball was played to him in the six-yard box and he coolly tucked it away.
Lions then struck again as a Sammy Kingston free-kick on the half-way line was whipped in and Elias Cohen headed it into the top corner, a near carbon-copy of Cohen’s goal last week.
Bells spurned a golden opportunity to level after 35 minutes. A penalty was awarded for a trip by Dan Fattal however the Eight Bells striker launched the spot kick over the crossbar.
Eight Bells came out strongly at the start of the second half and equalised shortly after, however a curled shot with the outside of Weinberger’s boot found the bottom corner to restore Lions’ one-goal advantage.
Legs were tiring and with 15 minutes to play, Bells found themselves one-on-one and equalised to make it 3-3.
The Lions were shattered at full-time, knowing they had another 30 to play and had to dig deep if they were to progress. Chances came for Alkalay as he had a shot saved by the keeper and another smashing the crossbar and Lions were unlucky to not be ahead.
But at the other end, Lipman was pulling out all the stops to make sure Lions didn’t concede again. Most notable, a save from a shot destined for the top left hand corner which Lipman rose to and tipped away for a corner.
It remained 3-3 and the game headed to penalties. Weinberger, Bloom, Rosenthal, Cohen and Kingston were the five designated takers. The first four Lions penalties were dispatched well, and Bells’ missed their fourth. Kingston, the centre-back on the day, stood up and coolly slotted the winning penalty home for a Lions victory and progression to the next round of the cup.
A Lions spokesman said: "The boys battled hard and dug deep, with many playing in unfamiliar positions, and they got the job done on the day which is the most important thing.
"The maltesters went to goalkeeper Daniel Lipman after making numerous superb saves and at points, keeping Lions in the game."