The Israeli national under-20 team continues its magic journey at the World Cup in Argentina on Thursday and wants to amaze the soccer world once again. After the huge extra-time victory over Brazil in the quarter-finals, Ofir Haim's team now faces another hurdle from South America in the semi-finals - Uruguay. Before Italy face South Korea for the extra ticket in the late semi-finals, Israel wants to secure its place in the final on its tournament debut, while its rivals in blue hope to return to the status it lost to France exactly a decade ago.
Ofir Haim had to remove one of his bunkers in the 11th, Ariel Lugasi, who was injured and made way. The beneficiary was Hamza Shibli, who came up at the front along with Anan Halaili, Thai Abed and Dor Turgeman. Yam Kanzpolski and captain Eli Madmon hold the midfield, with the defensive squad remaining unchanged from the start of the World Cup.
Uruguay, on the other hand, comes with a rather lackluster squad to match, but with support from thousands in the stands in La Plata near the border between the two countries. Absent include Luciano Rodríguez who finished as top scorer in the Copa America for young ages, right-back Matteo Fonte and Matías Abaldo who scored two goals in the tournament. The most prominent name in the team is 20-year-old midfielder Fabricio Diaz.
Big push from the stands. Fans of the Israeli national team (Photo by Getty Images, LUIS ROBAYO/AFP)
Vehicles
Israel: Tomer Sarfati, Eili Feingold, Stav Lemkin, Or Israelov, Roy Revivo, El-Yam Kanzpolsky, Eli Madmon, Thai Abed, Anan Halaili, Hamza Shibli, Dor Turgeman.
Uruguay: Randal Rodríguez, Rodrigo Chagas, Sebastián Boselli, Facundo González, Alain Maturo, Fabricio Diaz, Damian García, Ignacio Sosa, Franco González, Juan Cruz de los Santos, Anderson Duarte.
Gameplay
1st minute: Spanish referee José María Sánchez Martínez sent the game off. Will Israel celebrate by qualifying for the finals?
- sport
- Israeli football
- Israeli national teams
Tags
- Mondialito
- Youth national football team
- Uruguay national under-20 team
