Israel's young team achieved a good result of 1:1 in Ireland this evening (Friday) in the first game in the playoff stage for promotion to the European Championship.
This is the important bottom line, but the task will not be easy in the match between the teams this Tuesday in Bloomfield.
It's going to be difficult mainly because the first game highlighted the physical differences between the Irish and the players from Israel.
Even within our team, there are players who are adapted to the high levels and those who are not there yet.
Guy Luzon, who got this team in the middle of the road, has not yet been able to formulate something extraordinary.
Players such as goalkeeper Daniel Peretz (excellent), stopper Stav Lemkin (despite being sent off in the final minutes), defender Roy Herman, and perhaps another player or two, showed superiority.
The rest have disappeared into the physicality of Ireland, 19-20 year old players who seem to be at the end of their careers.
Oskar Gloch and Mohamed Knaan came up front, and what is easy in the Premier League, was much more difficult tonight.
Karem Jaber in front of Smallbowen, photo: sportsfile
The defender Doron Leidner, the midfielders Aden Kartsev and the striker Lial Abda, who in the meantime moved to the senior team, are sorely missing from this team.
They might be the difference in the rematch, if they are allowed to play.
Both goals in the game were scored from a standing position.
The first of the Toklomati era from a corner by Usher David (45), Ferguson's equalizer (65) in a shot did justice to how the game developed.
The rematch will be held on Tuesday in Bloomfield.
This is one of the talented generations that Israel has had in the last two decades, a combination of young players who came up from the youth team, which made a difference in the European Championship, and players who excelled under Alon Hazan in the qualifying campaign for the European Championship, before the coach moved on to the senior team.
Guy Luzon mainly needs to give this generation the tools to beat Ireland on Tuesday and bring these players to the European Championship, a very significant step for the young team, which will perhaps provide the basis for a historic achievement even for the seniors in the future.
Toklomati celebrates the advantage, photo: sportsfile
were we wrong
We will fix it!
If you found an error in the article, we would appreciate it if you shared it with us
