Tonight the Israeli national team will face a star-studded Belgian side in the Euro 2016 qualifiers. As the moment approaches, let's look back to when three of Maccabi's current stars faced the likes of Marouane Fellaini, Dries Mertens and Thomas Vermaelen
Almost eight years have passed since a Maccabi Tel Aviv squad member faced Belgium in an official match, to be exact June 13th 2007, in Holland. A few months prior to the match, head coach Guy Levi's young Israel team had, in particularly impressive fashion, assured themselves of a place in the finals of the 2007 European Championships for Under-21s and were drawn in the same group as the Dutch hosts, Portugal and Belgium. In that team were two young Maccabi stars: Current senior squad captain Sheran Yeini and defender Yuval Shpungin. They were joined by a third current Maccabi player, then on the books of Beitar Jerusalem, Barak Itzhaki. After losing their first match to Holland, the young Israel team, with Yeini, Shpungin and Baraki in their ranks, took to the pitch to face Belgium. The whole squad knew that only a victory would leave them with any hope of making history for the second time in the competition.
For the match itself, Shpungin and Itzhaki were in the first eleven. Yeini opened on the bench, but still had the opportunity to make acquaintance with quite a few players that have now become the stars of the current Belgian national team, some of them for leading clubs in Europe as well. Among the names of what in Belgium is regarded as the "second golden generation" are Marouane Fellaini of Manchester United, Jan Vertonghen of Tottenham Hotspurs, Kevin Mirallas of Everton, Dries Mertens of Napoli, Thomas Vermaelen of FC Barcelona and from Zenit St. Petersburg Nicolas Lombaerts and a young Axel Witsel, who was also a part of the 2007 young Belgium squad.
Seventeen minutes after kick-off the Belgians were already down to ten men after Marouane Fellaini was sent off for a second bookable offence. Guy Levi's lads pressed hard and had their share of chances but neither side got on the scoreboard in the first half. After the break, Israel continued to play well but as the old saying goes, if you're not winning you're losing. And indeed, eight minutes from time a young Kevin Mirallas exploited an error in the Israel back four, raced toward the goal and shot past the keeper. And that's how the match finished, 1-0 to the Belgians, with Shpungin, Yeini, Itzhaki and the rest of the young Israel side left with the disappointment they all found so difficult to hide.
Barak Itzhaki would have a further opportunity to rub shoulders with members of the Belgian national team when he spent part of the 2008 season playing for Belgian side Racing Genk, alongside current Aston Villa star Christian Benteke, who scored in Belgium's last outing, a side which also featured Chelsea's Thibaut Courtois and Wolfsburg's Kevin De Bruyne. All three are expected to be in Belgium's first eleven when they take on Israel tonight at "Teddy" Stadium in Jerusalem, and facing them once again will be Maccabi Tel Aviv's Sheran Yeini, Barak Itzhaki and Yuval Shpungin. And who knows, perhaps once again we'll see a single match-winning goal eight minutes from time, but this time in favour of Israel. Keep your fingers crossed!
photo credit – Dani Meron
