Israel beat Estonia 2-1 in Hungary tonight in a positive start to its World Cup qualifying campaign.
Maksim Paskotsi put Estonia ahead, only for an own goal by goalkeeper Karl Jakob Hein to bring Israel level before Eli Dasa got Israel’s winner.
Norway, in the same qualifying group as Israel, enjoyed a 5-0 rout at Moldova.
Norway, highly favored to win Group I, features Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland and is captained by Arsenal midfielder Martin Odegaard.
Israel plays Norway on March 25.
Norway’s third and last World Cup appearance was back in 1998, two years before Haaland was born, but it has high expectations of reaching the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Only the group winners qualify directly for next year’s finals. Second-placed teams advance to a play-off round.
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From the Liveblog of
Sunday, March 23, 2025
