Semifinal & Final
The semifinals and the finals are traditionally held in the national Ramat Gan Stadium in the middle of the week (Tuesday or Wednesday). The semifinals take place on the same day, with the stadium split to four sections for each supporter set, and a single ticket valid for both matches – the fans can enter the stadium whenever they want to, and stay for the second game if they wish. This practice is known in Israel as hatzaga kfula (lit. double show), and was common in Israeli football in the past, but today is present only in the cup semifinals, which makes the event one of the most anticipated in Israeli Football, perhaps not less than the final itself. The match considered more interesting to the public is usually the second, and considered the "peak" of the evening.
For the final, the two winning teams of the semifinal return to Ramat Gan, with the winning team being awarded the State Cup from the President of Israel. The president's role is traditional, and entered the Israeli sports lexicon, with meeting the president being an expression equal to saying winning the cup.
Read more about this topic: Israel State Cup
Famous quotes containing the word final:
“All cries are thin and terse;
The field has droned the summer’s final mass;
A cricket like a dwindled hearse
Crawls from the dry grass.”
—Richard Wilbur (b. 1921)