ISRAEL coach Ran Ben Shimon declared his team ready for a new beginning in their crucial World Cup qualifier against Italy following a heavy defeat in Norway last week.
Israel currently sits third in Group I with nine points while Norway leads with eighteen points and Italy holds second place with twelve points.
A victory against Italy is essential for Israel to maintain their hopes of qualifying for next year’s World Cup tournament hosted across Canada, the United States, and Mexico.
The group winners will qualify directly for the World Cup while the runners-up will advance to the playoffs.
“Every game is a blank page,“ Ben Shimon told reporters during a press conference in Udine where Israel faces Gennaro Gattuso’s Italy on Tuesday.
“We’ll do the best we can and hope the result is what we want,“ he added through an Italian translator.
The coach emphasized that his team understands they are playing Italy and must perform at their best while sticking to their game plan.
The match occurs after militant group Hamas freed the last living Israeli hostages from Gaza on Monday.
Israel winger Manor Solomon said this development brought immense joy to the team.
“Last night we struggled to sleep,“ Solomon revealed through an Italian translator.
“We wanted to wake up to see what was happening,“ he added about the hostage situation.
Authorities have implemented tight security measures in Udine to ensure the safety of the Israeli team and maintain public order.
A pro-Palestinian march will proceed in the city center on match day despite the recently agreed ceasefire.
Last week’s qualifier in Oslo featured protests and a security response that included tear gas deployment.
Pro-Palestinian supporters gathered outside parliament before that match wearing Palestine national team jerseys. – Reuters
