Despite yet another poor performance Israel keeps 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign on course.
By ALLON SINAIsalim toama soccer israel 224 88 ap(photo credit: AP)
Despite yet another poor performance, Israel claimed a 3-1 victory over Luxembourg on Saturday night and kept its 2010 World Cup qualifying campaign on course.
The national team was anything but impressive at the Josy Barthel Stadium, embarrassingly struggling against a Luxembourg team, which had lost 34 straight World Cup qualifiers before stunning Switzerland 2-1 last month.
Israel got off to a dream start after Omer Golan was brought down in the area with the match just 28 seconds old and Yossi Benayoun converted the penalty kick with ease.
It seemed as though the side would cruise from that point forward, but disappointingly Israel faltered once again as the hosts seized control of the encounter and soon equalized.
Rene Peters curled in a free kick in the 13th minute and Luxembourg deserved to go into the interval with the lead after Gilles Bettrner hit the post with a long range effort.
Israel finally managed to put together a good team move in the 53rd minute, with Golan finishing off the play. But once more the side rested on its laurels and humiliatingly settled for passing in its own half of the field.
Luxembourg, however, didn't make Dror Kashtan's men pay for their incompetence and, in the 82nd minute, Salim Toama wrapped up the win with a good finish.
"I think we played very poorly in the first half," Kashtan said. "We played into Luxembourg's hands. Our ball movement wasn't good and that affected the amount of scoring opportunities we created."
On Wednesday, Israel faces Latvia in Riga and Kashtan knows a dramatic improvement is needed.
"We face a much tougher match in Latvia. The Latvians are much better than Luxembourg, but they will be coming to win the match and that will allow us to create more chance in front of goal," the coach said.
The national team couldn't have asked for a better start on Saturday after 'keeper Jonathan Joubert dropped a simple cross and pulled down Golan to gift the visitors a penalty. Benayoun sent Joubert the wrong way and scored his 17th goal for Israel to move into a tie with Alon Mizrahi and Eli Ohana for seventh place all-time.
Israel's lead, however, lasted for just over 10 minutes after Kashtan's men sat back instead of building on their early advantage.
After 13 minutes, Peters released an accurate free kick from 20 meters out and found the back of the net after Israel 'keeper Dudu Awat was slow to react.
The equalizer sent the national team into a state of shock and Luxembourg almost went into the break ahead.
Israel came no where near to scoring again in the first half and only the post saved the side from conceding another goal in the 37th minute.
Bettrner was given far too much space 25 meters from the Israel goal and his excellent left footed shot got the better of Awat, but was kept out by the upright.
Eight minutes into the second half, Israel finally showed it is indeed capable of accurate team soccer.
Golan was put through by a delicate Gal Alberman pass and the Lokeren striker gave the visitors a lead they didn't deserve with a clinical finish.
Kashtan and his assistant Moshe Sinai embraced in relief after the goal, but Israel didn't learn its lesson from the first half and once more relinquished the initiative.
Luckily for the side, Luxembourg wasn't capable of scoring another goal and Toama secured the victory and the crucial three points eight minutes from time with a superb shot from the corner of the box.
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