DIMONA, Israel (Interstat) — H. Ironi Rishon held off SC Dimona 3-2 on Monday in a global football match that produced five first-half goals, an early lead, a brief SC Dimona comeback and a red card before halftime. SC Dimona was the home team, and H. Ironi Rishon was the visiting team. H. Ironi Rishon struck first in the fourth minute when Shai M. scored. SC Dimona answered in the 16th minute through Midan Cohen and took the lead two minutes later when Gil Hadad scored. SC Dimona’s lead lasted five minutes. H. Ironi Rishon leveled in the 23rd minute on Dolev Azulay’s goal, then reclaimed the lead for good in the 42nd minute with its third goal. The first 23 minutes produced four goals, and the first half produced all five.

SC Dimona’s Elmalem A. was shown a red card in the 38th minute, leaving SC Dimona with 10 players. At the time of the red card, the score was 2-2. H. Ironi Rishon protected its advantage through the second half and finished with three goals to SC Dimona’s two. The visitors’ scoring came from Shai M., Azulay and the unlisted scorer in the 42nd minute. SC Dimona’s goals came from Cohen and Hadad. Neither side scored after the 42nd minute, and the second half produced no goals. H. Ironi Rishon led 3-2 at halftime.

Midan Cohen recorded 90 minutes and one goal for SC Dimona. Gil Hadad recorded 90 minutes and one goal for SC Dimona. Dolev Azulay recorded 90 minutes and one goal for H. Ironi Rishon.

H. Ironi Rishon is now 1-0 in this competition and 2-1-1 across all competitions. SC Dimona is 1-1 in this competition and 4-1-1 across all competitions. H. Ironi Rishon’s previous results this season, in reverse order, were a 3-0 home loss to Hapoel Kfar Shalem, a 1-1 draw at Maccabi Bnei Raina and a 3-0 home win over Maccabi Jaffa. SC Dimona’s previous results, in reverse order, were a 2-0 road win at Ramat Hasharon, a 0-0 road draw at Hapoel Azor, a 2-0 home win over Bnei Yehuda, a 4-1 home win over Hapoel Sderot and a 3-2 road win at Hapoel Mahane Yehuda.

H. Ironi Rishon’s win came after a loss, a draw and a win in its previous three matches. SC Dimona’s loss followed a road win, a road draw, a home win, a home win and a road win in its previous five matches. The match remained a one-goal difference after the 42nd-minute goal, and SC Dimona could not find an equalizer while playing a man down. H. Ironi Rishon’s third goal came four minutes after SC Dimona’s red card.

The result gave H. Ironi Rishon its first win in this competition while SC Dimona absorbed its first loss in the competition. H. Ironi Rishon moved to 1-0 in the competition, and SC Dimona moved to 1-1. The match finished with five goals, all scored in the first half. H. Ironi Rishon’s scoring total was three, and SC Dimona’s scoring total was two. SC Dimona’s second-half efforts did not produce a goal.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of SC Dimona 1, H. Ironi Rishon 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected SC Dimona with a 84.8 percent probability to win. H. Ironi Rishon 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.