In this footage from the Sydney Sports Ground, Israel and Australia battle in a preliminary match for the chance to qualify for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.
After beating Australia in a previous preliminary game, Israel tied with Australia in this match and earned admission to the finals — a success the nation has yet to repeat.
According to the announcer, it was an agonizing game: “The home team establish a territorial advantage, but Israel remain cool under constant pressure.”
At the end of the game, the white-jersied Israeli team rejoices on the field, having reached a new milestone in the Jewish state’s history. Or, as the narrator puts it, “Australia fails to add to their tally, and thus Israel is to go to Mexico in quest of soccer’s greatest prize.”
(The Associated Press and Movietone News recently released their vast video archives on YouTube, allowing the public to freely access a million minutes worth of historical news clips dating back to 1895 — including many iconic scenes from Israel’s history featured in this Times of Israel series.)
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