AKKO, Israel (Interstat) — H. Akko scored five unanswered goals and routed visiting MS Tira 5-0 on Monday, using a first-half brace from Roy Z. and a steady second-half attack to pull away. The home side set the tone early and never allowed MS Tira to settle, while MS Tira struggled to turn possession into dangerous chances and was held off the scoreboard. H. Akko’s pressure produced goals in both halves, and the home team kept its shape after building a comfortable lead.

Roy Z. opened the scoring in the 4th minute, finishing the first clear opportunity of the match, and he added H. Akko’s second goal in the second minute of first-half stoppage time. That two-goal cushion gave H. Akko control at halftime, and MS Tira’s attempts to respond after the break were limited as the home side kept the pressure on. H. Akko continued to push forward after the restart, while MS Tira tried to find a foothold without success.

Amit Ben Yosef made it 3-0 in the 51st minute, and Giti Sofir scored the fourth in the 55th. Ben Yosef played all 90 minutes and scored once, while Sofir also played the full match and scored once. H. Akko added its fifth goal in the 69th minute, capping a dominant performance and ending any remaining doubt about the result. MS Tira could not find a consolation goal and finished the match without a goal. The visitors were kept scoreless despite needing a response after falling behind early.

The result moved H. Akko to 1-0 in the competition and 1-2-1 overall. MS Tira dropped to 1-1 in the competition and 5-1-1 overall. MS Tira had entered the match with five wins and a draw in its previous six matches across all competitions, but it could not carry that form into Monday’s game against an H. Akko side that made the most of its chances.

MS Tira’s previous six matches across all competitions included wins over Hapoel Tirat Karmel, Hapoel Umm al-Fahm, Maccabi Ma’alot Tarshiha, Ironi Nesher and Maccabi Neve Shaanan Eldad, along with a draw against Hapoel Bnei Musmus. That run made the visitors’ scoreless performance against H. Akko stand out, especially after H. Akko took control before halftime. H. Akko, by contrast, had been searching for a lift after recent losses to H. Raanana and Hapoel Kfar Shalem and a draw with Maccabi Bnei Raina. The visitors had been in stronger form entering the match but could not extend that run.

H. Akko’s scoring was spread across the match, with Roy Z. striking twice before halftime and Ben Yosef, Sofir and the home side’s fifth goal finishing the work after the break. MS Tira’s defense, which had been tested often, could not slow H. Akko once the home team found space in the final third. H. Akko’s overall record remained modest, but the competition victory gave the home side a clean start in the standings. The home side managed the closing stages well and protected its shutout. H. Akko’s defense did not allow MS Tira to build momentum after the early goals. The clean sheet added to the home side’s control and completed a strong defensive effort from start to finish.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of MS Tira 2, H. Akko 0. Interstat’s ELO system had projected H. Akko with a 50.7 percent probability to win. MS Tira had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 5 went under the over/under line of 2.5. The result ran counter to the simulator’s projected winner and to the pregame spread.