HERZLIYA (Interstat) — Hapoel Azor scored five times and defeated Hapoel Herzliya 5-1 in a competition match on Thursday. Azor set the tone with early goals and added late finishing, while Herzliya answered only once. The visitors left with a result that kept them unbeaten across all competitions and improved their position in the competition. The home side remained without a win in the competition this season. The visitors’ five-goal output came in a match that produced six total goals overall.

Yosef Azulay Shlomy was Hapoel Azor’s top star with two goals. Liran Elmaliach and Oz Peretz each scored once for Azor, and the team also scored in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Saber Badir scored Hapoel Herzliya’s lone goal. The listed scoring sequence began with Elmaliach in the 15th minute and Azulay Shlomy in the 22nd. Badir pulled Herzliya back in the 30th minute. Peretz scored in the third minute of stoppage time, and Azor added its final goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time. Azulay Shlomy’s two goals were the most by any player listed for Hapoel Azor in the match.

Hapoel Azor’s five-goal total came with a balanced attacking return. Azulay Shlomy’s two goals led the way, while Elmaliach and Peretz added one each. The visitors’ scoring sequence included the early breakthrough, a second goal before the half-hour mark, and late finishing that removed any doubt about the outcome. Herzliya’s response came through Badir, but the home side could not build on the goal. Azor’s late goals came after Herzliya had been forced to defend deeper. The scoring sequence also included Azor’s final goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time.

Discipline became a factor late. Herzliya’s Cohen L. received a yellow card in the 84th minute. In the sixth minute of stoppage time, Herzliya was shown a red card. That dismissal came in the same minute as Azor’s final goal, further complicating the closing stages for the home team. The red card was the only dismissal of the match, and it capped a difficult final stretch for Herzliya. The yellow card was the only caution listed for either side.

The result moved Hapoel Azor to 2 wins, 0 losses and 3 draws in this competition. Hapoel Azor is now 3 wins, 0 losses and 3 draws across all competitions. Hapoel Herzliya is 0 wins, 1 loss and 3 draws in this competition and 0 wins, 2 losses and 3 draws across all competitions. Azor’s unbeaten record in all competitions now includes three wins and three draws, while Herzliya’s overall mark includes two losses and three draws. The records reflect the competition and all-competition totals through this match.

Azor entered the match after a 0-0 draw with SC Dimona. Azor’s previous five competition results also included a 1-0 win at Herzliya, a 1-1 draw at Ramat Hasharon, a 0-0 draw at Hapoel Sderot and a 2-0 home win over Hapoel Mahane Yehuda. Herzliya came in after a 2-2 draw at Hapoel Sderot. Herzliya’s previous four competition results also included a 1-0 loss to Azor, a 0-0 draw with Hapoel Mahane Yehuda and a 0-0 draw at M. Ironi Kiryat Malachi. The most recent head-to-head before this game was Azor’s 1-0 win at Herzliya. The previous meeting between the teams ended with Azor taking a one-goal victory.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Hapoel Herzliya 1, Hapoel Azor 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Hapoel Herzliya with a 69.7 percent probability to win. Hapoel Herzliya had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 6 went under the over/under line of 2.5.