Israel’s 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign got off to a poor start Friday with a 1-1 away draw against group stage rival Azerbaijan.
The game started off promisingly when midfielder Bebras Natcho hit the target from 35 meters to give Israel the lead in the 35th minute. But 14 minutes later Ruslan Abishov beat goalkeeper Dudu Aouate to equalize.
The blue and white’s new head coach Eli Gutman said he was disappointed as he had expected a win. Azerbaijan is considered the group’s weakest team.
“On the other hand, it is not the end of the world,” said Gutman. “We played on a tough field and I am sure other teams will lose points here too. All in all I am very satisfied with the players’ effort.”
On Tuesday, Israel hosts Russia while Azerbaijan travels to Portugal. Luxembourg and Northern Ireland are also in the group.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
“We are still dreaming of reaching the finals and will do everything to beat Russia,” said Gutman.
Israel’s team captain Yossi Benayoun said it would be “a disaster’ if Israel lost to Russia.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
