Half-Time Report: Maccabi Tel Aviv move halfway to group stages

Maccabi Tel Aviv earned a 1-1 half-time draw with Basel to close in on the Champions League group stages tonight.

With the aggregate score at 2-2 following last week's stalemate in Switzerland, Maccabi's two away goals gave them the favourites tag ahead of tonight's conclusion in Israel.

However, Nosa Igiebor conceded a foul just outside the area on 14 minutes, and Luca Zuffi made him pay by curling home the set piece to fire Basel 3-2 ahead overall.

The hosts responded well and the second leg looked like following the same see-saw pattern as its predecessor when Eran Zahavi - who scored both last week - replicated his heroics on 24 minutes to tip the tie in Maccabi's favour.

On 42 minutes, Zuffi almost cancelled out Maccabi's away-goal advantage completely, but his close-range piledriver sailed just over the bar as the hosts moved 45 minutes away from the group stages.