Maccabi Under-19 midfielder Dor Peretz was among the goal scorers in the Israel national teams' emphatic 9-0 win over Lichtenstein in the last of their European championship qualifiers, earning them a ticket to the next phase of the competition
Israel's national Under-19 team, that included two of Maccabi Tel Aviv "Shachar"'s young stars – midfielder Dor Peretz and defender Shaun Goldberg – concluded their playoff matches for the European championships with a convincing 9-0 victory over Lichtenstein at Petah Tikva's "Moshava" Stadium. Having had mixed fortunes last week in their first two qualifying matches, a 2-0 victory over Italy and a 1-3 loss to Denmark, the young Israelis knew that only a victory over Lichtenstein would enable them to advance to the next, so-called "elite round" of the tournament. In the event their overwhelming triumph ensured their advance from the top spot in their group.
As in the previous two encounters, both Peretz and Goldberg opened for the Israeli Under-19s, with Peretz scoring the side's fourth goal of the afternoon just before half time with a blistering shot on the turn from just outside the area. Other scorers were Maccabi Haifa's Dor Hugy and Beitar Jerusalem's Avishai Cohen, who netted a brace each, in addition to individual efforts by Ramsey Sfuri and Muhmad Abu Al Hija (Hapoel Tel Aviv), Omer Danino (Maccabi Petah Tikva) and Eden Shamir (Hapoel Kiryat Shmona).
Two other Maccabi Tel Aviv players were included in head coach Eli Ohana's national Under-19 squad – defender Guy Aviv and midfielder Dan Glazer – but they did not appear in any of the three group stage matches. For Peretz and Goldberg these three group stage appearances were their first for the national side. In March of 2014 the national Under-19s will continue their efforts in the penultimate elite round of the European championship competition, where Israel will be drawn into a group of four, the winner of which will advance to the finals in Hungary next summer.
*photographs courtesy of the Israel Football Federation
