Israel had only played one World Cup. It was in Mexico 1970, in that tournament in which Pelé shone for the last time as the face of, perhaps, the best team of all time. They missed the first round after losing to Uruguay 2-0 and drawing with Sweden (1-1) and Italy (0-0). The only goal came from the feet of Mordechai Spiegler, a striker who was considered the best player in the history of the country and even had the luxury of playing in the New York Cosmos with O Rei himself.
When that first World Cup was played in Aztec lands, it was five years before Ofir Haim was born, former scorer like Spiegler and now coach of the youth team that makes history in the Under-20 World Cup that takes place in Argentina. It is that the boys of the Asian country do not stop attracting attention since the tournament began that should have been played in Indonesia, but ended in the land of the world champions after the previous host rejected, precisely, the presence of Israel for political reasons.
FIFA stood firm and organized the move from Southeast Asia to our country, which seems to have become sacred ground for Israelis. Not only did they draw through the group stage, but they knocked Uzbekistan out of the race in the knockout stages and now, in the quarterfinals, the almighty Brazil in a frantic match to advance to the semifinals. Is it a surprise? Israel was European runner-up – losing the final of the U19 to England – and thus earned the right to be World Cup. However, nobody expected him to go so far and leave one of the powers of the category out of the race.
The victory over Brazil went far beyond football. It is that Dor Turgeman, a 19-year-old boy who plays for Maccabi Tel Aviv, drew a goal of the best Leo Messi that went viral instantly. It was the goal of the victory in the supplementary of a match that was played in the San Juan del Bicentenario stadium. Anan Khalaili had scored the 1-1 that took the match to the lengthening and Hamza Shibli was the author of the 2-2 immediate that responded to the green lunge at the beginning of extra time. A curious fact: the winning team missed two consecutive penalties in a couple of minutes in the 30 minutes that served to break the story.
He went far beyond football because Turgeman, who has two goals in the competition and many already imagine a future in the Champions League although his market price is 200,<> euros, celebrated his goal with his teammates but then showed a message he had written on the ribbons he used as a wristband. It was a dedication to some young soldiers killed on the Egyptian border in the last hours. "In memory of the victims of the attack," it said in handwriting.
"It has been a very hard day in the State of Israel and we want to dedicate this victory to their families and the whole country. We hope this gives you some comfort. As for the goal, I did what I had to do," said Turgeman, who came out with a knock minutes from the end.
"I want to send my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones, and this victory is for the whole country," coach Haim said after the game. And then he talked about football again: "We were the best team and we deserved to win, but things always have to be difficult for us after missing the two penalties. We have been very strong mentally and the players believe in each other. We have a lot of talent and quality, but also a big heart. Now we want to reach the final."
Turgeman's gesture also moved Moshe Shino Zuaretz, president of the Israeli Football Association. "On such a sad day when we lost three soldiers who were protecting us all, Israel's national team played Brazil in the semifinals. With tremendous fighting, amazing talent, unity and leadership, the Blues and Whites made us all proud once again, as their tears were for what was won and for what was lost on this day." Israel is now in the semi-finals and this is not a dream... It's a reality!"
Another who showed his pride was the president of Israel. "An incredible match from our youth football team. What a great victory! They bring us a lot of honor and pleasure these days with wonderful team play and true sportsmanship," tweeted Isaac Herzog. And not far behind was the leader of the opposition, the leader of the opposition, Yair Lapid. "I respect the Israel U-20 national team, 3-2 against Brazil. Who would have believed it? I respect Ofir Haim, I respect these wonderful children. Amazing! Wonderful! Unbelievable!"
Yes, like many other times, football served to unite. In fact, this team that expects rival – it will be the winner of the duel between Uruguay and the United States – is made up of Jews and Arabs in almost equal numbers. Perhaps, unintentionally, this U-20 World Cup in Argentina is the beginning of a great story for Israel.
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