By Victor Okoye
An exquisite solo goal scored by Dor Turgeman saw debutants Israel come from behind to defeat five-time champions Brazil 3-2 in an instant FIFA U-20 World Cup classic.
Israel will now play the USA-Uruguay winners in the semi-finals in La Plata, while A Seleção will have to pack their bags for the journey home.
Israel had the better of the first half, but Brazil had its best chance following fine play from Savio down the right, Marquinhos’s effort from the back post, yards out, was kept out by the leg of Tomer Zarfati.
Marcos Leonardo’s excellent strike with his weaker left foot put Brazil ahead at the start of the second in the 56th minute.
But Anan Khalaili equalised with the header of the tournament, barely four minutes later in the 60th minute.
Kaique then pulled off a superb save to deny Turgeman and send the game to extra time.
Extra time held more drama and goals than an average 90-minute match.
Andrey Santos’s exquisite flick set up Matheus Nascimento to restore Brazil’s lead in the 91st minute.
But Hamza Shibli turned a cross in at the back post immediately to level things up again in the 93rd minute.
The decisive moment came at the end of the first half of extra time when Turgeman dribbled through Brazil’s defence before unleashing an unstoppable curler past Kaique in the 105th minute.
An incredible second period of extra time saw Israel fail to score from the penalty spot twice, but Ofir Haim’s side were able to hold on and complete an historic victory.
The result meant Israel became the first debutants to reach the semi-finals of a FIFA U-20 World Cup in eight years, since Senegal achieved the feat in 2015. (NAN)
