Israel handed Cretan Catastrophe with Samaras penalty

In cooperation with Goal.com:

A second-half penalty from Giorgos Samaras gave Greece a slim 2-1 win over Israel in Heraklion, after the visitors had equalized through Elyaniv Barda.

Greece assured they kept level with Switzerland with an edgy win in Crete, but the margin of error was far too slim as a goal from the spot was all that separated both sides at the final whistle.

Dimitrios Salpigidis gave Greece the lead after thrity-two minutes, but a spirited Israel fought back to level the score ahead of the hour mark. Their resistance was not enough to keep Greece from their first win in three competitive matches, as a crafty Greek offense regained the lead through their Celtic striker.

First Half

With such high stakes on the table in Crete, the match got off to a nervy start – similar to the introduction in the Israel five days earlier.

Again it was Israel who started out on the right foot as Dror Kashtan’s men looked to make the most of their early possession. They pushed through the Greek defense with Benaram Kayal leading the charge and aiming for team-mate Omer Golan with a cross. A quick Kostas Chalkias, however, leaped off his line to foil the effort and assure there weren’t any early surprises in Crete.

Greece forged its first attack through Angelos Charisteas, as the man charged with scoring Greece’s most important goal in his nation’s history sped down the flank; only after an outlet pass from strike partner Theofanis Gekas allowed the Bayer Leverkusen striker to indulge in some space. Charisteas’ effort, however, was not as intuitive as a sharp Israel defense recovered in time to block the chance, and leave ‘keeper Dudu Aouate untested.

Although both sides got off to an energetic start through the first fifteen minutes, a rather congested quarter-of-an-hour ensued. Israel’s defense was the main ingredient in the match’s dry spell ahead of the half-hour mark.

But if there was going to be a breakthrough ahead of the interval, Greece’s confident attack was the likely route. A well orchestrated corner was poorly cleared by the Israel defense as Dimitrios Salpigidis pounced on the loose ball; and with a driven effort, the Panathinaikos striker beat Aouate to send Greece ahead on thirty-three minutes.

Boosted by their breakthrough, Greece continued to pepper the Israeli end with continuous raids. While their attacking line was now confident in their approach, the Greek lead was to be just one ahead of half-time.

Second Half

In a challenge similar to Saturday’s second-half agenda, Israel again faced an up-hill battle to at least secure a point in Greece. Yossi Benayoun was introduced ahead of the second frame as a quiet Ben Sahar was extracted by manager Kashtan.

Despite the addition of the highly-touted Liverpool midfielder, Greece still mustered a convincing venture into Israel’s end. A creative stroll by Giorgos Karagounis resulted in Charisteas finding Gekas with a pin-point cross, but the on-loan Portsmouth striker directed his free-header wide.

Israel’s push for a comeback resumed soon after the latest Greek miss, and this time they were rewarded. A bit of sloppy defending inside the Greek box resulted in a loose ball falling for Elyaniv Barda, who fired a hard shot on goal which whizzed past a confused Chalkias.

Deflated by the equalizer, Greece was forced to start from square one. Knowing their hopes of reaching the finals in South Africa would look dim with a draw, Rehhagel’s troops pursued yet another tally.

There hopes were restored in full effect when Vasilis Torosidis sacrificed his body to earn a penalty for Greece. A recently substituted Giorgos Samaras stepped up to take the decisive penalty, and the Celtic striker showed great composure as he restored the Greek lead on sixty-seven minutes.

With Israel now against the ropes, it was expected of the visitors to seek plenty of possession in an attempt to level the score. Greece’s determined defense assured that was not in the immediate future as the Israeli midfield was perplexed by a sturdy Greek back-line.

Furthermore, Samaras had a chance to bag a late brace, just ten minutes after giving Greece their second lead of the game. The lanky striker was in position to make the most of Giourkas Seitaridis’ cross, but poor judgement from Samaras saw his effort smash into the crowd of Israeli defenders.

Greece had another chance to assure three points went to the home side, but a breakaway for Kostas Katsouranis was foiled by an alert Aouate. Nonetheless, Greece held on to collect three points to stretch their total to thirteen points, and increase their lead over Israel to four points.