Israel hammered by Russia in World Cup qualifier

Israel’s national soccer team on Tuesday suffered one of the worst home defeats in its history, a crushing 4-0 loss to a vastly superior Russian national side coached by Fabio Capello in the second match of the 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign.

Israel looked listless throughout the game, unable to create goal-scoring opportunities, and unwilling to compensate for Russia’s superior footballing quality with effort and team spirit, with the Russians dismantling the Israeli defense with alarming ease time and again.

Alexander Kerzhakov netted twice in the first half (the second goal in the video) while Alexander Kokorin and substitute Viktor Fayzulin also scored for the Russians.

Many fans began to file out of Ramat Gan Stadium well before the final whistle.

Prior to the game the mood among the supporters was one of pessimism following the lackluster performance last week in the away 1-1 draw with Azerbaijan, considered the group’s weakest team, yet few predicted the extent of the fiasco.

Israel is still searching for its first win in Group F, which also includes Portugal, Luxembourg and Northern Ireland.