Hi! I was wondering whether anyone who frequents this forum has any knowledge on/information about Israel's participation in the qualification for Italia '90? As you are very well aware of, you were competing in the OFC zone along with Australia and New Zealand. And while the full 90 minutes from the two ties against the Australians and the away leg in New Zealand are available via Youtube, I've been unable to find anything but brief highlights from the 1-0 win against the Kiwis in Tel Aviv (5 March 1989). I am in the process of building an extensive website for the Italia '90 World Cup, something which includes its qualification, and right now I am working on the OFC confederation. Feel free to have a look: https://italia1990.com/ofc/israel-qualification-for-italia-90/ Thank you.
With next to no information available from Israel's opening fixture at home to New Zealand, match facts, line-ups and those stats apart, I am delighted that the full 90 minutes from the remaining five fixtures, that's including the two intercontinental play-off matches against Colombia, are all available, either via Youtube or via collectors of old football matches (for the New Zealand v Israel tie). As my work regarding the 1990 qualification is a very meticulous one, I've only reached the Australia home fixture, which is the third of the OFC Group stage from a total of six matches. The quality of the footage available is hardly HD, though by now I am well used to this. It still gives a fine account of the game, and how Schneor and Grundman wished to portray this particular version of the Israeli national team. I've come to the conclusion that it is a 5-3-2 line-up, and from a bird's perspective, it would look something like this: Bonni Ginzburg Avi Cohen II - Shlomo Iluz - Yehuda Amar - Nir Alon - David Pizanti Efraim Davidi - Nir Klinger - Moshe Sinai (c) Eli Ohana - Ronny Rosenthal Amar is sweeping behind Iluz and Alon, who are shadowing Farina and Krnčević respectively, two of the three Australian strikers. While Cohen is only modestly making his way forward from the right, Pizanti down the left is a major attacking outlet, so the two full-backs interpret their roles quite differently. Klinger sits at the base of the midfield, and either he does so alone, or he is accompanied by Davidi. However, at times, I am also getting the feeling that Davidi is allowed a little more in terms of moving forward, although it is clearly Sinai who is the orchestrating player among the midfielders. Equipped with a tasty left foot, he's also the designated set-piece taker. As for the pair of strikers, Ohana and Rosenthal both operate somewhat wide, or at least work the channels: Ohana to the right, Rosenthal more towards the left. They're being kept under surveillance by each their Australia centre-back in Steve Calderan and Wally Šavor respectively. While there's no lack of edge to the game, as both sets of players are fully committed, just as you'd be expecting in such a vital WC qualifier, quality is not in abundance, at least not during the opening 45 minutes (which is about as far as I've come yet). Hopefully, it'll pick up for the second half.