(JNS) Israel scored a second consecutive improbable win at the Under-20 FIFA World Cup in Argentina on Tuesday night, punching its ticket to the quarter-finals for the first time in the country's history.
18-year-old Anan Khalaili, who currently plays for Maccabi Haifa's Under-19 team fired home a goal against Uzbekistan in the 97th minute to propel Israel to a 1-0 victory and set up a showdown with the winner of Wednesday’s match between Brazil and Tunisia.
“I’m proud of my players, this was a tough game, a cup championship,” said coach Ofir Haim. “We didn’t have good production, we were not smart, but we showed a lot of character. We were better than them. It wasn’t a great game, but there was a ton of fight and heart.”
The victory came after Israel made soccer history on Saturday night with a late rally while a man down to beat Japan 2-1.
