{"id":88251,"date":"2023-05-31T08:44:58","date_gmt":"2023-05-31T08:44:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/?p=88251"},"modified":"2023-05-31T08:45:53","modified_gmt":"2023-05-31T08:45:53","slug":"israel-keeps-dream-alive-at-u20-world-cup-with-round-of-16-win-over-uzbekistan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsrabbi.com\/en\/israel-keeps-dream-alive-at-u20-world-cup-with-round-of-16-win-over-uzbekistan\/","title":{"rendered":"Israel keeps dream alive at U20 World Cup with Round of 16 win over Uzbekistan"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s quite incredible to think that the Israel National Team is just three wins away from making history at the Under-20 World Cup. While it\u2019s still quite a ways away and a dream that the blue-and-white could take home an international soccer title, the fact that Head Coach Ofir Haim\u2019s team is in the position to do so is quite an accomplishment in itself.<\/p>\n

After defeating the Asian Champion Uzbekistan 1-0 in the Round of 16 thanks to Anan Khalaili\u2019s goal deep into second half stoppage time, Israel is off to the quarterfinals this coming Saturday evening where they would be scheduled to play the winner of the Brazil and Tunisia in a game that will take place on Wednesday night. <\/p>\n

While there is no question that the typical person on the streets of Tel Aviv, Jerusalem or Haifa had never even given this tournament a thought prior to the sensational play that the young Israelis are providing, they are all now tuning in to see just how much pride and how far this team can go.
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Photo Credit: IFA<\/p><\/div>
\nHaim\u2019s squad has done what many a politician across the Holy Land has never been able to do; unite all facets and faces of the people who live, work and breathe in and around Israel all the way up to Nahariya and Kiryat Shemona to Sakhnin, Jerusalem and all the way down to Eilat.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not just the people of Israel who are \u201cshepping nachas\u201d. It\u2019s 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 other who are learning very quickly that Israeli soccer or football as the world calls it can provide some thrills and chills.<\/p>\n

And that is what everyone saw on Tuesday night in Mendoza and very early in the morning on Wednesday in Israel.<\/p>\n

Israel dominated Uzbekistan but the Asian champs would not concede as chance after chance was created by Haim\u2019s team especially in the second half. As time wound down and into injury time, the blue-and-white kept pushing for a winner in order to avoid having to go to a thirty minute extra-time period and then perhaps penalty kicks to determine the winner. <\/p>\n

However, that was not going to be the case when captain Ilay Madmon lined up to take a free kick in the 97th minute. The Beer Sheva product sent the ball directly into the box as the Anan Khalaili stabbed the ball past the Uzbek keeper to send the Israeli squad and its supporters throughout the stadium into euphoria.
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Photo Credit: IFA<\/p><\/div>
\nThe 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. <\/p>\n

How many times have we seen the Israel National Teams not find the back of the goal in crunch time? How many times has an opportunity that could win the game for the blue-and-white go by the wayside and how many times have we seen Israel get so close but yet so far?<\/p>\n

The Sakhnin native put that all to rest with a goal that will go down in the annals of Israeli soccer history. <\/p>\n

Ironically, Khalaili had entered the game in the 55th minute coming on for last game\u2019s hero Omer Senior who scored the decisive goal against Japan to send Israel into the Round of 16.<\/p>\n

Khalaili \u2018s father had once been a goalkeeper in the lower leagues of Israeli soccer and helped train his son in order tp put him in the position where he scored five goals this past season with Haifa\u2019s youth team while also having been in the starting lineup for the national team\u2019s three games last November.
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Photo Credit: IFA<\/p><\/div>
\nThere had been some interest from well known European clubs for the 18-year old\u2019s services and that ratcheted right up following the game when immediate reports came out that Polish outfit Legia Warsaw and Austrian side Rapid Wien were keen on having Khalaili as part of their squads. However, the striker, who is signed with Maccabi Haifa through 2026 perhaps will have a chance to crack the first team lineup with his youth coach Messay Dego now taking over the reins for the big club.<\/p>\n

With the final whistle being blown, the celebrations kicked off as fans flew Israeli flags in almost every inch of the stadium, the players leapt on one another and ran around the track in pure unadulterated joy.<\/p>\n

There were no politics to be found between Arab and Jew. Khalaili with his goal had united people and also a nation that has been thirsting for someone to do just that.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a very exciting moment and I have goosebumps all over my body,\u201d a boisterous Khalaili said. \u201cI want to thank the entire nation of Israel who are supporting us and who were up until past 2am in the morning. I just knew that this was going to be my day, I had a good feeling, I just knew it. We are winners, a group of men and I am so proud of everyone here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Head coach Ofir Haim also spoke about the victory, \u201cI set a goal for our team and I am so proud of the guys, this was a very tough game. This was like a Cup final and a game like that is very dangerous. We didn\u2019t play well enough and intelligently enough, but we showed a tremendous amount of character, toughness all the way to the final seconds. We believed that we could win, we were the better team and we deserved to be victorious.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\u05d0\u05dc \u05d0\u05dc \u05d9\u05e9\u05e8\u05d0\u05dc! \u05d4\u05e0\u05d1\u05d7\u05e8\u05ea \u05d4\u05e6\u05e2\u05d9\u05e8\u05d4 \u05e2\u05d5\u05e9\u05d4 \u05d0\u05ea \u05d4\u05d1\u05dc\u05ea\u05d9 \u05d9\u05d9\u05d0\u05de\u05df \u05d5\u05e2\u05d5\u05dc\u05d4 \u05dc\u05e8\u05d1\u05e2 \u05d2\u05de\u05e8 \u05d4\u05de\u05d5\u05e0\u05d3\u05d9\u05d0\u05dc\u05d9\u05d8\u05d5<\/p>\n

\u05dc\u05ea\u05e7\u05e6\u05d9\u05e8 \u05d4\u05de\u05e9\u05d7\u05e7 \u05d4\u05de\u05dc\u05d0 >>> pic.twitter.com\/7uhnVK1vjV<\/a><\/p>\n

— \u05db\u05d0\u05df (@kann) May 30, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n