TEL AVIV (Interstat) — Maccabi Tel Aviv opened its Liga Bet season with a 3-2 victory over Ashdod on Saturday at Bloomfield Stadium, overcoming a late surge from the visitors.

The home side built a commanding 3-0 lead before halftime. Emir Sahiti opened the scoring in the 26th minute, followed by Ibrahim Diakité in the 37th and Saied Farchi in the 42nd. Farchi also added an assist.

Ashdod mounted a second-half comeback with goals from Hélio Varela in the 49th minute and Eylon Almog in the 90th, but fell short. The match featured six yellow cards. Maccabi Tel Aviv improved to 1-0-0 while Ashdod fell to 0-1-0.