A few hours before the opening whistle of the match between Israel and Romania, yesterday at the Pancho Arena in Falcót, the small town in Hungary, we were informed that six IDF soldiers had been killed in battle in Gaza. Not that we needed this terrible news to stay in the right proportions, of what really matters and what is a little less. Football for example.
So yes, the players of the Israeli national team wanted with all their might to delight the children of the envelope who arrived in Hungary and wrapped them in unconditional love over the past four days. But after the heroic draw against Switzerland came the loss to Romania, which killed the chances of qualifying for the Euros through qualification. Still, it's just football. In normal times we might have "cut" coachAlon Hazan, professional manager Yossi Benayoun and the players. But these are not ordinary days, so it is appropriate to treat everything in the right proportions.
Oscar Gluch and Neta Lavi, take in proportion, photo: Udi Zitiat
Let there be no misunderstandings, conclusions must be drawn from this unsuccessful campaign. After all, even before the last three games, which took place in particularly difficult conditions, the team did not impress - except for one half against Romania.
Finishing a campaign with 3 points out of 18 against the top three opponents at home (Switzerland, Romania and Kosovo), there is no doubt that this is a professional failure. Still, we are not in ordinary times, so we have to look at the situation from a different angle.
First, in March the team has another chance to qualify for the Euros, through the Nations League play-offs. Tomorrow, Ukraine will host Italy in Leverkusen, and if they don't win, they will be Israel's opponent in the semifinals. If Ukraine beats the European champions, their opponent will be much more comfortable, Iceland.
Five days later, the match will decide the fate of the Euro ticket, and if Israel reaches it, the opponent will be Bosnia or Finland. Not a rivalry that Israel cannot win. But even setting aside the "Last Chance Tournament", the two games against Switzerland and Romania brought good news: there is a future for the Israeli team, even if at the moment it seems distant and even blurry.
The professional team of the Israeli national team. These are not ordinary days, photo: Udi Zitiat
The starting lineup yesterday consisted of four players aged 20 or under: Roy Revivo, Oscar Gloch, Anan Halailly and Dor Turgeman. I don't remember when there were four players in the starting line-up of the national team that was so young in an official game.
All four played without feelings of inferiority and seemed to be in the senior team for several years. This is an immediate result of the successes of the young teams last summer. These four are marking the way. More will follow. Idan Tocalomati and Autumn Lemkin are next. And there will be more.
And yes, the national team won't qualify for the Euros either, you don't have to look at it as a sporting disaster. First because of the conditions in which the last games were held, but also for a much simpler reason: Switzerland and Romania are ultimately better teams than Israel. Not by much, and yet, despite disappointing performance in some games, the two are still unbeaten in eight games. Israel has lost three times.
So we said it in the other context, but it should also be said in the net professional context: let's stay in the right proportions.
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Israel national team, Yesh Atid, photo: Udi Zitiat
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