Satisfying end for Atar

Knee ligaments
The Maccabi Netanya midfield player decided to quit after suffering a second cruciate ligament injury in his left knee in a league game against Hapoel Kfar-Saba last Friday.

'A sad day'
Atar, who tore knee ligaments five years ago, chose to leave the game rather than face more surgery and a long recovery period. "This is a sad day for me, although it is satifying to be able to end my career knowing I have achieved something."

Silver lining
The diminutive Atar played 34 times for Israel, and during a 17-year professional career won five league titles with Maccabi Haifa FC. But the highlight, he said, had been his winning goal in a FIFA World Cup qualifying tie which denied France a place at the 1994 finals.

Finest hour
"Undoubtedly my greatest moment was the goal I scored at the Parc des Princes, when Israel won 3-2 and all the country was in raptures," he said. Atar also played for Beitar Jerusalem before joining Maccabi Netanya at the start of the current campaign.