Tel-Aviv fairy tale still not over

Hapoel Tel-Aviv’s success in becoming the first Israeli team to reach the fourth round of the UEFA Cup has been one of the great success stories of this season’s competition.

Challenges lie ahead
As the new year approaches, coach Dror Kashtan has time to reflect on a highly successful season at home and abroad – and plan for the greater challenges that lie ahead in the spring.

Comfortable win
Tel-Aviv’s UEFA Cup campaign began on 9 August with a comfortable 2-0 first-leg win away to Armenian side FC Ararat Yerevan. However, even when the Israeli side progressed to the first round proper when a 3-0 second leg win gave them a comfortable 5-0 aggregate triumph, few would have guessed the heroics that were to come.

Tight affair
Tel-Aviv’s first-round tie against Turkish club Gazientepspor was a tight affair. The Israeli side gained a somewhat fortuitous 1-0 first-leg win when Ryndziuk Mikalai headed past his own goalkeeper in the 89th minute. The second leg in Gaziantep was a tense affair. Slovenian international Milan Osterc’s third goal of the tournament doubled Tel-Aviv's advantage but the Turkish side pulled a goal back in the second half. After a nervy final few minutes, Tel-Aviv held on to their slender 2-1 aggregate lead.

First-leg victory
The second-round tie against high-profile English side Chelsea FC saw Tel-Aviv provide Israeli football with arguably the greatest moment in its history. Six Chelsea players refused to travel to Israel for the first leg amid security fears and Kashtan’s SIDE made the Londoners pay – two goals in the final two minutes of the game from Shimon Gershon and Sergei Kleschenko giving the outsiders a fighting chance ahead of the return in west London.

Landmark achievement
At Stamford Bridge stadium, Tel-Aviv proved the first-leg result owed more to Israeli excellence than Chelsea absenteeism as they battled heroically for a 1-1 draw against a full-strength home side. The 3-1 aggregate triumph ensured Tel-Aviv had become the first Israeli team ever to reach the third round of the UEFA Cup.

'A great moment'
"This is a great moment for Israel and one of the very few moments of joy for our nation in the last few months," Hapoel's owner and director Moshe Theumim said afterwards. "I am delighted for our club, the players and for the thousands of supporters who made the long trip here. We have demonstrated that we might not have the budget or be as big as some other clubs in some ways, but we have courage and heart that maybe they do not have." Coach Kashtan echoed Theumim's sentiments when he labelled the match "a historic moment for the whole country".

Lokomotiv derailed
Almost as impressive as the victory over Chelsea was Tel-Aviv’s 3-1 aggregate dismantling of eliminated UEFA Champions League side FC Lokomotiv Moscow in round three. The reward for that result is a collision with Serie A’s Parma AC in round four in February.

Domestic form
Despite their European adventure, Kashtan’s team have also kept up to speed in domestic competition as they chase just their second league crown in 14 years and their 14th in total. As 2002 approaches Tel-Aviv are top of the Israeli Premier League ahving beaten Hapoel Petach Tikva 2-1 on 27 December. In compiling ten wins from 15 league games Tel-Aviv have remained unbeaten at home all season, with Maccabi Netanya and Petach-Tikva the only sides to have inflicted defeat on them away from home.

Unlikely dream
A UEFA Cup-Israeli Premier League double may be an unlikely dream – but as the New Year approaches Tel-Aviv have earned the right to believe such a deam might just come true. Parma have been warned.