This isn't time to begin giving up on Israel's chances of making it to the World Cup finals.
By JEREMY LASTjeremy last 88(photo credit: )
Yes, watching Israel throw away a certain World Cup qualifying victory was painful.
Yes, it was upsetting, frustrating and disappointing to see the national team's defenders make practically no attempt to challenge Latvia's Vladimirs Kolesnichenko as he ran straight towards the goal to score a last minute equalizer in Riga on Wednesday night.
And yes, the two points dropped could well prove crucial at the end of qualifying next October.
But this is not the time to begin giving up on Israel's chances of making it to a first World Cup finals in 38 years.
Even though the Kolesnichenko goal knocked some of the stuffing out of the team, the players, media and fans must remember that there is a long, long way to go in Group 2.
And it is still all to play for.
Too many analysts have been to quick to focus on the negative points from the Israeli performances in recent matches rather than take confidence from the positives.
Israel's next two games, both against Greece, were always going to be the most important of the qualifying campaign.
When the Israeli players pick themselves up from this draw, they will see that they are only a point off the Greeks and there is still every chance of finishing top of the group and advancing directly to South Africa 2010.
Unfortunately there have indeed been many poor aspects to the play of Dror Kashtan's team.
A lack of incisiveness and attacking edge was apparent in both the game in Luxembourg on Saturday and the Riga match four days later.
Forward Elyaniv Barda has been unable to reproduce the form he displays week in week out in the Belgian league for KRC Genk and striking partner Omer Golan hasn't been able to find his rhythm while playing for the blue and white.
This has been combined with the unfortunate drop in concentration which comes from a lack of professionalism within Israeli soccer.
However, despite the uninspiring play, the team has proved its spirit over the last week and shown that it can, in general, grind out results.
Like Kashtan said after the game on Wednesday, seven points from the three away games against Moldova, Luxembourg and Latvia is a reasonable return.
The most significant result on Wednesday was Greece's 2-1 defeat at home against Switzerland.
Israel fans always knew that being drawn in the same group as Greece and Switzerland was the best possible opportunity to come top.
Blaise Nkufo's 77th minute winner for the Swiss confirmed just how open the group is, proving that both of the teams are vulnerable at home.
Rather than running away with the group as Croatia did in Israel's Euro 2008 qualifying pool, Greece's loss kept the top spot within reach.
A win in Greece on April 1 next year or in Switzerland in the last game of the campaign in October 2009, as well as a positive result at home to the Greeks on March 28, and Kashtan's boys could be on their way to the finals.
Captain Yossi Benayoun may only be one of 11 players on the field, but the way he battled forward to score against Latvia should give heart to any Israelis questioning the national team's chances.
The World Cup finals are still just under two years away and Israel can still dream of playing on the biggest soccer stage on the planet.
jeremylast@gmail.com
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