We were placed in Oceania (of all places) for most of the 70’s and '80’s, and somehow always failed to qualify from there… since the '80’s Israel is in the European Zone, and Frosted Glass already mentioned, and we generally manage to do something between bombing out and contending each time (we generally finish 3rd or 4th in a field of 6 teams.) Last two times out (2004 Euro prelims and 2006 WC prelims) we actually had a slim chance of making it through even in the last round of play – so not quite “contenders” yet, but maybe in a few more years.
While I’m here – Anybody else who thinks J. Cole’s goal yesterday has got to be a strong contender for “Best Goal of 2006 WC?” (points off for scoring off a ricochet rather than on some good buildup play – but what a beauty!)
I’m pretty sure the equalizer was scored before injury time, and I would’ve thought with three minutes to go it would’ve been frenzied. You have a good point, but still.
Thanks; this has been cleared up for me by a couple of other posters in other threads, but I appreciate it nonetheless. I already ranted about this in another thread, and I think it’d be best for me to avoid doing it again here. Suffice it to say that I’ve lost a lot of respect for the FIFA committees that decide this stuff.
Not quite contenders? They tied with Switzerland, who went. I would say that’s contending, myself. Are you aware of a petition I can join from this side of the ocean to press on FIFA to find an alternate solution, BTW? Like putting Israel in Asia and telling all the bigots to deal with it, or putting Israel in Africa (which is much closer geographically)?
According to the World Cup website, the final goal was scored in minute 90, but these official times do not take injury time into consideration, so even if a goal is scored two minutes into injury time, the official time is still listed as the 90th minute.
Also, while i admit that my recollection might be faulty, i seem to remember that, when England brought the ball back to center for the kick-off, the overtime clock was already running.
I watched it and I’m positive the clock was just barely past 89’–a bit of a nitpick, I admit, but it was in the 90th. There were a full three minutes of stoppage time. Now, I understand that three minutes in soccer is not the same as three minutes in (say) hockey, but it’s enough to mount an attack and put a decent ball or two on goal, at the least, if you want to win the game.
I’ll call it “contending” when we go into the last round of preliminaries controlling our own destiny. One (or even three) good games do not yet a real contender make. But thanks for the good words
NO, NO, NO!!! While possibly politically motivated originally, we definitely like it in Europe. Better the tail on a lion than the head on a jackal and all that…
Seriously, we are so much closer to Europe in so many respects (economically, culturally, even geographically vis-a-vis most of Asia!); and we have definitely had to improve our game for participating there. Israel belongs to Europe in almost all sporting events, anyway – and in Basketball,for instance, where we’ve played in Europe for ever, we occasionally do quite well indeed.
Also, if Turkey and Cyprus qualify as “European,” then so do we, dammit!
(And Malta, too)
I’ve only been once, but I do agree that the culture is way more European than Asian or African, by far…but still, geographically I think they should be whooping up on other Middle Eastern teams and going to the Cup. Do you really like being ignored by the soccer world for 36 years and counting? You already lost your coach–how many more sets of four years where a Middle Eastern team that would qualify easily in Asia misses out on its chance, can you have before enough players retire that it becomes a different team altogether? There’s nothing in the game like rooting for your nation in the World Cup, and I think it’s a travesty that you miss out on it because I know you guys love the game at least as much as any Iranian.
The Australia-Croatia match has just finished, and WOW, what an interesting game! Lots of umpire stuff ups, some guy got the red card from Croatia and didn’t leave the field, and at one point there were two balls on the ground.
Oy, kambuckta, we call 'em referees in the round-ball game!
Very exciting match, and i thought Australia were the better team and deserved to go through.
But what the hell was with Kalac, the Aussie goalkeeper? He had a shocker. And Harry Kewell was offside, and his goal (the second equalizer) should have been disallowed.
Another distinctly mediocre refereeing performance in this game.
Sorry 'bout that. Shows you what game I normally follow, heh.
Actually, that is the very first non Aussie Rules game of football I have ever watched from start to finish. T’was more exciting than I could have imagined…the game might yet have gotten itself a new convert.
Mediocre? I think I’ll go with “somebody needs to take a nice long holiday”.
Not only was that offsides, what the heck was that with the reaching for the ball? I don’t know that much about the game but I do know they don’t call it handball.
And what was that with the three yellow cards, one after the game was over, and the red card, ditto?
If you get a red card after the game is over do you have to sit out the post game parties (celebration or condolence) or what?
But I bet the pubs are hopping in Sydney. And I add the locally mandatory: good coach.
I was being half generous, half ironic. The refereeing in that match was truly crap.
Kewell was offside; the Croatians escaped a penalty after a blatant handball; one of the Croatians pulled off what looked like a rugby tackle on one of the Australians; the referee forgot that he had given one of the Croations two yellow cards and only sent him off after the third one; and the whole game ended in an anticlimactic shambles.
I couldn’t see the Australia game (I live in a fucking digital-TV blackspot). But from what I can work out, the red card for the third yellow was Poll trying to save face, and possibly get himself within the letter of the law (i.e. the red was actually shown, even if it was rather belated).
And I think I’m right in thinking that cards can be shown before and after the game, while players are on the field of play. And for the red card, there’s all the suspension implications.
What’s your type? There are a number of, um, excellent exemplars of their type playing in the Wk this year. But they range from northern european to southern african so you gotta get specific. Still I am sure we can find something for you in this bag >rumage, rumage<
I personally have catholic tastes; I only require that my own eye candy be an excellent exemplar of his type, whatever it may be.
I actually though Graham Poll had a good game until the fiasco of the last ten minutes. He can’t be blamed for missing the offside, and the first handball was a very good spot. He also diffused some tense situations very well. Then he went and blew his chances of officiating any more games right at the end.
But who cares about referees? It was a cracking game of footie. Of course the Beeb had to show the Brazil game on their main channel, even though there was unlikely to be anything riding on it. I’m glad I chose to watch BBC3 instead.
Good show by the Aussies–I missed the game (I was in class), but I saw highlights on the FIFA website. They’ve been a pleasant surprise so far and I must admit I’ll be rooting for them at least a little bit. Italy will be the true test, though.
Depends, mostly on your ethnic taste, as someone else has said. No offense to the Australians, but I’d say they’re probably not in the running after seeing some of them up close and personal on the highlight reels.
I thought they could show whatever game they want on whatever channel if they have rights to both
The BBC had the Australia game on Radio Five Live (their main sport radio channel) and the Brazil game on the DAB/Satellite only Five Live Extra.
I would have thought they’d do the same on TV and show the game with most riding on it on the main (available to everyone with basic equipment) channel.
Since they didn’t one can only assume it was
(a) idiocy
(b) not caring for the majority of customers
(c) what GorillaMan said.
