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Israel stuns Brazil at FIFA U-20 World Cup to keep its underdog hopes alive
(JTA) — Israel’s under-20 men’s team defeated Brazil 3-2 in the quarterfinals of the FIFA U-20 World Cup on Saturday, their most shocking win in a string of dramatic underdog victories at the tournament.
The player who scored the winning goal in extra time dedicated the win to three Israeli soldiers killed in an attack the previous morning.
The team, making its first-ever appearance at the under-20 World Cup, is now through to the semifinal round, in which they will face either the United States or Uruguay on Thursday.
Israel — facing a country known for its international soccer dominance that has won the under-2o World Cup five times — was behind much of the game and also missed multiple penalty kicks. In the 56th minute, Brazil scored first, but Israel responded with a goal a few minutes later. The game then went to extra time tied 1-1, and Brazil promptly scored within 30 seconds in the overtime period. Israel responded to tie about two minutes later.
Then, in the final moments of the first half of extra time, Dor Turgeman wove between a series of defenders in front of Brazil’s goal to knock in what would be the winning score.
Turgeman wore a wristband that referenced the violence on the Israel-Egypt border hours before the game, in which an Egyptian security officer shot and killed three Israeli soldiers.
לזכרם.
למען כולם pic.twitter.com/VMxwpLkV11
— ISRAEL FA (@ISRAELFA) June 3, 2023
“We went through a very difficult day with the news from Israel,” Turgeman said after the match. “I dedicate this victory to the families of the victims. We were very pained by what happened.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted about the shooting on Saturday, before a few hours later tweeting about the soccer victory, writing: “Our young team made history and brought huge pride to the State of Israel!”
Besides Turgeman’s game-winner, Israel’s other two goals were scored by two of the roster’s three Israeli-Arab players: Anan Khalaili and Hamza Shibli.
The match took place in Argentina’s San Juan province, a mountainous region about 700 miles northwest of Buenos Aires. The stadium was almost empty, with fewer than 2,000 fans in attendance, but that number included members of the Jewish community and Israeli tourists who cheered and waved large Israeli flags. The tournament was originally slated to be played in Indonesia but was moved to Argentina after Indonesia protested Israel’s inclusion in the competition.
The semifinals and finals will take place in La Plata, where Israel began the tournament with the support of thousands of Jewish fans.
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Iran to Boycott World Cup Draw Over Visa Restrictions
Soccer Football – World Cup Playoff Tournament and European Playoff draws – FIFA Headquarters, Zurich, Switzerland- November 20, 2025 The original FIFA World Cup trophy is kept on display during the draws. Photo: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
Iran intends to boycott next week’s World Cup draw due to the limited number of visas allocated to the country’s football federation.
According to the Tehran Times, the United States issued visas to only four members of Iran‘s delegation, with requests for three additional visas denied, including one for Iranian Football Federation (FFIRI) President Mehdi Taj.
“We have informed FIFA that the decisions taken are unrelated to sport and that the members of the Iranian delegation will not participate in the World Cup draw,” FFIRI spokesman Mehdi Alavi said on Friday, per the report.
Alavi said the federation has been in contact with FIFA in an effort to resolve the situation.
The World Cup draw will take place on Dec. 5 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
The expanded 48-team World Cup is being hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico from June 11 to July 19, 2026. Matches will be played at 16 venues, including three in Mexico and two in Canada.
The draw will sort the teams into 12 groups of four. The top two teams from each group and the eight best third-place teams will advance to the knockout stage.
Iran has secured a spot in its fourth consecutive World Cup and seventh appearance overall.
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Dublin to Rename Chaim Herzog Park in a Move Slammed as Attempt to Erase Jewish History
Anti-Israel demonstrators stand outside the Israeli embassy after Ireland has announced it will recognize a Palestinian state, in Dublin, Ireland, May 22, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Molly Darlington
i24 News – Citing the Gaza war, Dublin city council voted to rename a park honoring Israel’s sixth president, the Irish-born Chaim Herzog, in further manifestation of anti-Israel sentiment in the country.
While a new name is yet to be chosen, reports cite efforts by pro-Palestinian activists to change it to the “Free Palestine Park.”
Former Irish justice minister Alan Shatter harshly criticized the vote, charging that “Dublin City Council has now gone full on Nazi & a committee of the Council has determined it should erase Jewish/Irish history. Herzog Park in Rathgar is named after Chaim Herzog, Israel’s 6th President, brought up in Dublin by his father, Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, a friend of Eamon De Valera, who was Chief Rabbi of Ireland & Israel’s first Chief Rabbi… Some councillors want the Park renamed ‘Free Palestine Park.”
The Jewish Representative Council of Ireland issued a statement regarding the renaming of Herzog Park.
“It sends a hurtful and isolating message to a small minority community that has contributed to Ireland for centuries. We call on Dublin City Councillors to reject this motion. The removal of the Herzog name from this park would be widely understood as an attempt to erase our Irish Jewish history.”
A virtuoso diplomat and an intellectual giant, Herzog had served in a variety of roles throughout his storied career, including a memorable stint as the ambassador to the United Nations, where in 1975 he delivered a speech condemning the Soviet-engineered resolution to brand Zionism as a form of racism. The address is now regarded as a classic, along with the oration from the same session by the US Ambassador Daniel Patrick Moynihan.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar slammed the decision, saying that Ireland’s “antisemitic and anti-Israel obsession is sickening.”
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Qatar’s Al Thani to Visit Beirut Wednesday to Meet with Lebanon’s Leaders
Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani makes statements to the media with then-US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in Doha, Qatar, Oct. 13, 2023. Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed Al Thani will visit Beirut on Wednesday to meet with Lebanon’s leaders, Al-Jadeed reported Saturday.
The visit comes “as part of an effort inseparable from the efforts by Egypt in coordination with Arab countries, foremost among them Saudi Arabia.”
The trip coincides with a sensitive period for the country, ravaged by war and deep economic crisis.
Lebanon is under growing pressure from both Israel and the United States to more swiftly disarm Hezbollah and other Islamist groups across the country, with Israel increasingly inclined to stop the Shiite militia from rearming and rebuilding its infrastructure.
Hezbollah was left devastated in the aftermath of a nine-day war last year, that saw Israel take out its command structure and lay waste to a significant proportion of its missile arsenal.