June 6 – This week’s under-20 World Cup semi-final line-up has an unfamiliar look about it -with one particular notable absentee.
Israel produced the biggest win in its football history last weekend, stunning Brazil 3-2 in extra time to qualify for the semis where they will meet Uruguay on Thursday.
A tightly contested quarterfinal saw Israel twice come from behind before grabbing a shock extra time 3-2 victory through Dor Turgeman’s solo strike.
Uruguay beat the United States 2-0, dominating the match from start to finish, while South Korea, runners-up in the last U-20 World Cup in 2019, secured their spot with a 1-0 extra time victory against Nigeria and will now meet Italy.
Israel are the first debutants to reach the semi-finals of the Under-20 World Cup since Senegal in 2015. The senior Israeli national team has only once qualified for the World Cup finals, going out in the group stage in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
Brazil were fancied by many pundits to continue their excellent record and Turgeman’s teammate Tay Abed said the Israelis knew the odds were stacked against them.
“We knew before the game that nobody was giving us a chance but we believed in ourselves,” he said. “Brazil are a fantastic team, one of the best in this tournament. But we went out to play with our hearts, play with passion.”
The U-20 tournament was moved from Indonesia to Argentina at short notice earlier this year after some Indonesian politicians in the muslim-majority state had called for Israel to be barred from the tournament.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1714039163labto1714039163ofdlr1714039163owedi1714039163sni@w1714039163ahsra1714039163w.wer1714039163dna1714039163