Israeli captain Benayoun
Photo: Eli Elgarat
Israeli soccer: Is the 'world' ready?
Israel to meet favored Greek team Saturday for match that will decide its future in 2010 World Cup
This Saturday at 9 pm, Israel faces one of its toughest tests on the road to World Cup 2010. If the blue and white wish to keep their qualifying dream alive, a positive result is vital against the heavily favored Greeks.
Currently Greece leads group B of the European standings with 9 points, followed by Israel with 8, and Switzerland with 7. In order to qualify from the group, Israel needs to finish in first or second. The first place team earns an automatic bid, while the second place team faces the runner up from another group to decide who qualifies. Ramat Gan stadium will be electric as the Israelis try to take command of the group.
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Both Israel and Greece hope to rebound from disappointing results in their previous matches. Israel's last match, which was played in Riga, was a huge missed opportunity to collect 3 points against Latvia. In the game Israel took a 1-0 lead in the 50th minute, from a goal skillfully finished by Yossi Benayoun. With the final seconds ticking away, Latvian striker Vladimir Kolosnicenko knotted the score 1-1 culminating in a draw.
If Israel is going to keep pace in the group, they can ill afford another defensive let down so late in a match. The Greeks enter this weekends contest with their own frustrations after losing to Switzerland 2-1 at home.
Recent history
Israel: Israel has not qualified for a World Cup since Mexico 1970. Recently, Israel has suffered only one loss in their last 14 matches in qualifying campaigns. Israel went undefeated during the qualifying round of Euro 2008."If expectations up until now were exaggerated, they are realistic now: We should qualify for the World Cup. Up until now, we were drawn against big teams. The press put expectations on a high shelf, and then, when we did not advance, they always spoke about failure. For the first time, the expectations and the chances are the same and logical.”
(Yossi Benayoun, Israeli captain)
Greece: In 2004, Greece was crowned European Champions and advanced to the UEFA Euro 2008 finals. When it comes to World Cup competition, Greece has not fared so well. They failed to qualify for World Cup 2006 in Germany. Their last successful World Cup qualification was in 1994 but they lost all three matches and failed to advance past the group stage.
"Our group may appear comparatively easy at first sight, but both the Israelis and the Swiss have often enough shown they have good footballers in their ranks.”
(Otto Rehhegel, Greece head coach)
The winner of this weekend's match will most likely be representing the group in South Africa 2010. If Israel can come away with points, they have an opportunity to represent the nation on the biggest stage in world sports. Israel's World Cup dream hangs in the balance this weekend against Greece, and only time will tell if they have the determination to advance through the group.
Standings
Greece 9 points, Israel 8 points, Switzerland 7 points, Latvia 4 points, Luxembourg 4 points, Moldova 1 point
