In the 2024/2025 Nations League, Israel was caught up in a match against France – the world’s vice-champion, which currently plays with some of the best active players in the world of football – led by Clean Mbappe, as well as Theo Hernandez, Kingsley Coman and many more. In the previous meeting between the teams, Israel lost 4:1 to the French chickens. How did Israel get into such a difficult house, including France, Belgium and Italy? This is due to Israel’s rise to the first level of European football due to its successes in recent years against the second-level teams. And With success, comes difficulty.
But this time, despite the French having the advantage of home field, Israel amazed all by keeping a clean goal and exploiting French mistakes, and ended the game at 0-0, the first time Israel did not absorb a goal in the League of Nations this year, in the first half and in general. This happened despite the home advantage enjoyed by the French, and especially with the help of Daniel Peretz, the goalkeeper of the team – who os also a substitute for the wonderful Bayern Munich team, and has gained even more publicity in Israel recently, due to his engagement to popular singer Noa Kirill.
In the background of the memories of the disturbances that took place in Amsterdam after Maccabi Tel Aviv’s game a week ago, in which Israeli fans were attacked by an angry mob, this time the game was accompanied by close security of the French police – with no less than 4,000 policemen deployed to prevent irregularities. During the game there were some clashes between French and Israeli fans in the stands, but the game ended without unusual violence. Israel will play against Belgium tomorrow, and will definitely finish in the last place in the house, and will probably go back to the second level – but at least with an expensive point and a little national honor, in a game on the big field.
