The Israel National Team is just three wins away from making history at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup.While it’s still quite a ways away for the blue-and-white to take home an international soccer title, the fact that Ofir Haim’s squad is in a position to do so is quite an accomplishment in itself.
After defeating Asian champions Uzbekistan 1-0 in the Round of 16 thanks to Anan Khalaili’s goal deep into second-half stoppage time late on Tuesday night Argentina time, Israel is off to the quarterfinals on Saturday evening, where it will play the winner of the Brazil-Tunisia game, which finished after press time on Wednesday night.
While there is no question that the typical Israeli had never even given a thought to this U-20 tournament prior to the sensational play that the young Israelis have been providing, everyone is now tuning in with pride to see just how far this team can go.
Haim’s squad has done what many politicians across the Holy Land have never been able to do – unite all facets and faces of the people who live, work and breathe in and around the country all the way up to Nahariya and Kiryat Shmona, to Sakhnin, Jerusalem and all the way down to Eilat.
But it’s not just the people of Israel who are “shepping naches.” It’s also the Argentinian Jews, who have accompanied the team around the vast South American country after FIFA stripped Indonesia of the competition for not allowing Israel to enter, as well as Jews around the globe and others who are learning very quickly that Israeli soccer can provide thrills.
And that is what everyone saw on Tuesday night in Mendoza and very early in the morning on Wednesday in Israel.Israel dominated Uzbekistan throughout the contest, but the Asian champs would not concede as chance after chance was created by Haim’s team, especially in the second half. As time wound down into injury time, the blue-and-white kept pushing for a winner to avoid having to go to the 30-minute extra-time period, and then perhaps penalty kicks, to determine the winner.
That was not going to be the case when captain Ilay Madmon lined up to take a free kick in the 97th minute. The Beersheba product sent the ball directly into the box and Khalaili stabbed the ball past the Uzbek keeper to send the Israeli squad and its supporters throughout the stadium into euphoria.
The Maccabi Haifa winger has not been on the tips of the tongues of many who have been involved with the team, but Khalaili was in the right place at the right time and did what he was trained to do – score.How many times have Israeli national teams not been able to find the back of the net in crunch time? How many times has an opportunity that could win the game go by the wayside and how many times has Israel been so close yet so far?
The Sakhnin native put that all to rest with a goal that will go down in the annals of Israeli soccer history.Ironically, Khalaili had entered the game in the 55th minute, coming on for the previous game’s hero, Omer Senior, who scored the decisive goal against Japan to send Israel into the Round of 16. (Jerusalem Post)