Yossi Benayoun
צילום: אלי אלגרט
Israel, Greece tied at 1:1 in World Cup qualifier
Israel trails in 1st half, Omer Golan scores equalizer in 55th minute; teams to meet again Wednesday
The World Cup Soccer qualifier between Israel and Greece ended in a 1:1 tie. Greece scored first, but Omer Golan tied the game in the 55th minute.
Although Israel did not win the match, the national team displayed high abilities and exciting plays for long stretches throughout the game, particularly in the second half.
Golan excited after scoring goal (Photo: Eli Elgarat)
Israel played better for most of the first half too, but found itself trailing by one goal after Greece took advantage of a defensive error to score the game's first goal, in the 42nd minute.
However, Israel's spirits were not broken by the setback, and 10 minutes into the second half, the tens of thousands of fans at the Ramat Gan stadium saw a wonderful play that ended with Golan's equalizer, after he kicked in a perfect pass from star Yossi Benayoun.
Israel had several good chances in the second half but failed to capitalize on them, as did the Greeks. The two teams will face each other again this coming Wednesday, this time in Greece. Currently, both Israel and Greece are among the top contenders in their pool.
The game was attended by more than 40,000 fans in Ramat Gan.
