Golan strike keeps Greece in check

In cooperation with Goal.com:

Greece’s lead at the top of the Group 2 standings took a hit as Israel provided a come-back display to hold the Greeks to a 1-1 draw in Ramat Gan.

Theofanis Gekas revealed his skill-set was not rusty when he opened the scoring ahead of the interval, but Israel pegged back just after half-time with an equalizer through Omer Golan.

Greece still held true their hopes of reaching the World Cup Finals with a continuously creative performance in attack; however, a sloppy night in front of goal kept the score-line level at Ramat Gan’s National Stadium.

With their inability to claim full points, the Greeks saw their lead at the Group 2 summit disappear with Switzerland’s win in Chisnau – raising the stakes ahead of Israel’s visit to Crete on Wednesday.

First Half

Once both sides overcame a brief test of nerves, it was Israel who emerged with the lion’s share of possession; however, the Greeks were the first to come close to an early tally.

Avraam Papadopoulos provided a headed pass into the Israeli box, where Traianos Dellas potently slapped a header of his own past ‘keeper Dudu Aouate; but the effort was ejected when an alert Tal Ben Haim cleared the effort off the line.

Israel looked to their captain and Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun for inspiration, but the left-winger was frustrated by a strict Greek defense.

As a passionate crowd continued to cheer on the home side, Israel managed to creep into the Greek half through wunderkind Ben Sahar. The teenager troubled the Greek defense on the right flank, but not to the required extent to permit a chance against ‘keeper Kostas Chalkias

At the other end, a suddenly confident Greek attack resumed its services when a creative combination featuring Angelos Basinas and Giourkas Seitaridis would have silenced the crowd had the latter not flashed his effort wide.

It was three minutes before half-time that Greece stunned their hosts, as Theofanis Gekas cheekily poked a loose ball past Aouate to give Greece the lead ahead of the interval. The Portsmouth striker was sharply positioned and clinical with his finish despite being left to rot at Fratton Park.

Second Half

Israel returned for the second half with urgency in their attack, as it appeared words from manager Dror Kashtan inspired the hosts to look for an early equalizer.

The quest for a leveller got off to the appropriate start as Benayoun raced into the Greek box before providing a cross into the box. Chalkias was quick to foil the play, but the bigger problem for Israel was a swift Greek counter-attack.

While their objective was to score, Israel nearly conceded for a second time when Giorgos Karagounis was allowed into the box on fifty-four minutes. The Panathinaikos midfielder, however, wasted the chance as it rocketed over the bar.

Not discouraged by their shortcomings in defense, Israel still pushed towards the Greek goal and completed their mission when Omer Golan slotted past Chalkias. Again it was Benayoun zooming into the box before threading a pass to Golan who finished to the delight of the home crowd.

Forced to find another goal, Greece remained the stronger side in attack as a second goal was now mandatory. The wait was nearly put to an abrupt end when Gekas found himself in a familiar circumstance in front of Aouate’s goal; however, there was no brace as he fired into the side netting.

Ten minutes later it was Israel in-line for a go-ahead goal as sloppy defending from Dellas allowed substitute Barak Itzhaki to break towards Chalkias. The replacement for Elyaniv Barda was not as elusive against the Greek shot-stopper, who parried the effort away for a corner.

Mere moments later Israel suffered the loss of the talismanic Benayoun to injury and from that point on Israel’s attack lacked creativity.

The Greek attack had also turned dull but had the opportunity to seize a late lead when a header from Sotiris Kyrgiakos required a sharp header away from defender Klemi Saban.

Determined to seal maximum points, Greece stubbornly sped towards Aouate’s goal with Giorgos Samaras laying-off a pass for Christos Patsatzoglou after a dynamic run from the Celtic forward. Known for his heavy foot, Patsatzoglou didn’t hesitate to release a driven effort but a slight deflection forced the effort wide.

Unable to beat Aouate yet again, the final whistle came with a dose of disappointment, as the replay in Heraklion now holds a must-win importance if Greece are to remain frontrunners for World Cup Finals in South Africa.

Israel 1-1 Greece
Golan 55′ – Gekas 42′

Yellow Cards:
Israel – Sahar 49′.
Greece – Dellas 11′.

Israel (Dror Kashtan): Aouate, Saban, Ben Haim, Keinan, Ben Dayan, Sahar, Alberman, Cohen (85′ Vermouth), Benayoun (77′ Kayal), Barda (60′ Itzhaki), Golan.

Greece (Otto Rehhagel): Chalkias, Seitaridis, Papadopoulos, Dellas, Kyrgiakos, Torosidis, Tziolis (87′ Patsatzoglou), Basinas (62′ Samaras), Charisteas, Gekas, Karagounis.

Referee: Roberto Rosetti (Italy)

Venue: National Stadium, Ramat Gan, Israel.