The Israeli Embassy men’s football team returned to action this
week in a friendly match against Langdon, the Jewish charity supporting young
adults with learning difficulties. After an active summer in the transfer
window with significant squad changes, the game gave Israel’s new line-up a
chance to gel, in advance of their first-match in the upcoming Inter-Embassy
World Cup.
Langdon fielded a strong side honed by weekly matches, and
their familiarity shone through in the
opening exchanges. In an echo of Israel’s loss to Germany last season, early
Israeli pressure came to nothing, as a swift Langdon counter-attack left Israel
trailing 0-1. Yet Israel kept the pressure up, and some slick one-touch passing
and individual creativity saw them first draw level and then move in front to lead
4-1 at half-time.
After the break, Langdon again started stronger, counter-attacking
successfully for the second time to bring the score back to 4-2. But ultimately
Israel’s attacking prowess won the day, with the final score of 7-2 reflecting
an encouraging victory.
The men’s team begin their World Cup campaign against the
Colombian Embassy next week. Meanwhile, Langdon will face the newly formed
Israeli Embassy women’s team in their first ever competitive outing. Stay tuned to our website and newsletter for the results!