Israel and Ireland drew 1-1 late Sunday at TSC Arena in Backa Topola, Serbia, with Dior Peretz scoring in the second half to cancel out Troy Parrott’s first-half penalty and earn the blue-and-white a valuable point in Nations League Group G League B play.
While the result did not erase the disappointment of Israel’s 3-0 defeat to Ireland last week, it did provide some measure of redemption for Ran Ben Shimon’s squad, which showed considerably more fight and determination in the return fixture.
Israel played a strong first half and appeared capable of keeping Ireland at bay, but a mistake from Peretz changed the complexion of the game. The Israeli midfielder tripped defender Jimmy Dunne inside the box, earning Parrott a penalty, which the Irish forward calmly converted in the 39th minute to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Peretz, however, quickly made amends after the break.
Early in the second half, he pounced on an errant ball from Oscar Gloukh and found the back of the net to level the score. Israel then pushed aggressively for a winner, creating pressure around the Irish goal and repeatedly looking for the decisive second goal.
It never came.
Israel left with two points from first four Nations League matches
Instead, the two sides settled for a draw that leaves Israel with just two points from its first four Nations League matches. With two games remaining in November, Ben Shimon’s team now faces a difficult battle to avoid relegation to League C.
“We gave everything that we could,” Ben Shimon said after the match. “I don’t know if we have anything left in the tank to give in this window after four games. We had so many sick players and others with injuries, but we did the best that we could, and everyone gave a huge effort.
“We were very motivated coming into this game, and we did the maximum. I believed in my players, and I hope that they believe in me too.”
For Peretz, the goal offered some personal redemption after his costly mistake in the first half, though he quickly emphasized that Israel needed more than an equalizer.
“I’m very happy that I was able to score, but it was just the equalizer and not the winning goal,” Peretz said. “Nonetheless, we were able to get a point out of this game.
“Going forward, we need to take the aggressiveness that we showed in this game into the next as well. We took two of 12 points, and while it’s not enough, we are in a very difficult group.”
That reality is perhaps the biggest takeaway from the draw.
Very little margin for error
Israel showed character in responding to last week’s heavy defeat and falling behind again, but the two points accumulated from four matches leave very little margin for error. The blue-and-white will have to carry the intensity and aggression it showed against Ireland into its final two matches in November if it is to climb out of danger.
The draw may not have solved Israel’s problems, but after the disappointment of the previous week, it at least gave Ben Shimon and his players something to build on.
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