Kicking off a new World Cup qualifiers campaign in front of fans, Israel began to dream at home against Denmark.
Israeli fans returned to dream on the World Cup, as they are returning to the stadiums (Nicole Liberman / BabaGol)
In the center of Bloomfield Stadium, the Israeli FA put a large banner with the slogan "One Team, Joint Dream." This slogan was chosen to lead the national team in their journey throughout the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. The chances to qualify for the World Cup for the first time since 1970 are probably not high, but it's possible to dream.
The real slogan that many journalists used after the draw was "The Nightmares Group." Israeli fans are still dreaming of each of the top three teams of the group. The memories from the defeat against Scotland in the Euro 2020 playoffs are still here. Austria was the one that prevented Israel from reaching the 2002 World Cup playoffs. Denmark is maybe the biggest nightmare, recalling the 2000 Euro playoffs when Israel has been thrashed 5-0 at home and 3-0 in Copenhagen. The first step in the road to the joint dream was against the eternal nightmare.
One thing that many could be dreaming of for years was fans in the stadium. With a consistent decrease of COVID-19 cases in Israel and more than 5 million people who were already vaccinated, fans are being allowed to attend matches. There are still restrictions with no more than 5000 fans on stands, keeping social distancing and wearing masks. After more than a year, it was enough for the Israelis to be passionate and bring some kind of a unique atmosphere.
Denmark was the obvious favorite, but even they couldn't think about an easier opening. In the 12th minute, Martin Braithwaite got a long ball, while Eytan Tibi left him uncovered. Braithwaite ran into the box, and as only the goalkeeper was left in front of him. He flicked the ball into the net, and Denmark was in a 1-0 lead. Denmark was dominant but didn't convert it to more goals in the first half.
🇮🇱🇩🇰 The moment Martin Braithwaite notched the first.
— BabaGol (@BabaGol_) March 25, 2021
📸 @NickieLiberman #ISRDEN pic.twitter.com/9w1msdf9cW
In the second half, Willi Ruttensteiner made one substitution that changed the match. Joel Abu Hanna was subbed out, and Neta Lavi was entered to give a more attacking approach to the game. Israel started to play better, but in the 67th minute came the blowout. Another defensive mistake in the box, and Jonas Wind was in the right place to take the ball and score the second for Denmark.
From that moment, both teams just waited for the final whistle. Israel didn't play in the same mood as at the beginning of the second half. The Danish team could be satisfied with a 2-0 win and an optimistic opening for their campaing.
Denmark celebrated its first win in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers (Nicole Liberman / BabaGol)
The first dream of Israel in this campaign wasn't happy enough, but they know that Denmark is not an opponent that they can beat. Their next mission, a home match against Scotland on Sunday, would be their time to get over another nightmare and turn it into a dream.
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