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Ukraine defender VITALY MANDZIUK (16) of FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk shields the ball from Israel striker BEN SAHAR (17) of French outfit AJ Auxerre as visiting substitute goalkeeper ANDRIY DYKAN (31) of Russian side FC Spartak Moscow advances in a bid to snuff out the danger during the international friendly at the HaMoshava Stadium in Petah Tikvah.
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The home side put up the proverbial good fight but the visitors confirmed its status as a team to be taken seriously at the final tournament of the 2012 UEFA European Championships upcoming this summer as UKRAINE outscored ISRAEL 3-2 in the first international match for both sides since the start of the New Year.
The Ukrainians were able to stroke the ball about with a great deal of confidence and dominate possession in the first half, particularly after Israel defender RAMI GERSHON of Belgium club Royal Standard Liege clipped Ukraine attacker ANDRIY YARMOLENKO of FC Dynamo Kiev in the box a only a little over a quarter of an hour into the match and winger OLEG GUSEV, yet another FC Dynamo Kiev player, had no trouble with ensuing spot kick. The home side were able to generate a few good chances but were led astray by wayward finishing. Sloppy defending then gifted Ukraine a second goal just before the halftime whistle as Yarmolenko was able to feed an overlapping YEVHEN KONOPLYANKA of FC Dnipr Dnipropetrovsk on the left, who was easily able to slot past Israel goalkeeper DUDU AOUATE of Spanish La Liga side Real Mallorca with and double the visitors’ margin.
New trainer ELI GUTTMAN made three influential changes to the Israeli team at the break, including the removal of team captain YOSSI BENAYOUN of English Premier League club FC Arsenal in favor of French legionnaire BEN SAHAR of AJ Auxerre. The new blood certainly helped boost the attack and, ten minutes into the second session, the hosts had a call go their way when Ukraine defender VITALY MANDZIUK of FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk was caught handling in the area. Substitute striker TOMER HEMED, the 24-year-old who joined Aouate at Real Mallorca in the Balearic Islands this past summer after signing from FC Maccabi Haifa on a free transfer, then halved the deficit with a well-taken penalty.
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Israel midfielder BIBRAS NATCHO (6) of Russian club FC Rubin Kazan tackles the ball away from Ukraine captain ANATOLY TYMOSHCHUK (4) of German Bundesliga club Bayern Munich, appearing in a domestic record 114th international match for the national side, during the international friendly at the HaMoshava Stadium in Petah Tikvah.
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Ukraine struck again less than six minutes later with the most well-worked goal of the game, though, to seriously thwart Israeli momentum. Yarmolenko, directly involved in all three Ukrainian tallies for the match, began a counterattacking movement that ended with the 22-year-old, himself, sweeping home the centering pass of substitute midfielder OLEXANDER ALIYEV of FC Dynamo Kiev just after the hour. The would-be pivotal strike improved the promising youngster’s total to seven goals in just 18 international matches for the national side.
Once more, however, Israel refused to throw in the towel and would respond, themselves, quite quickly. A seam-splitting, thru-ball from midfielder MAOR MELIKSON of Polish club Wislaw Cracow released Sahar in the box on the left and the one-time FC Chelsea striker now out on loan from Spanish club RCD Espanyol Barcelona to Auxerre in France finished with aplomb. In doing so, the 22-year-old also recorded a sixth goal on his 25th international appearance with his first tally for Israel in almost two and a half years.
Ukraine trainer OLEG BLOKHIN was not impressed with the defensive lapses of his team in the second half but the visitors would, nevertheless, hold out for a deserved result on the night and to remain unbeaten in their lasts five matches; the Ukrainians will face Sweden in Kiev and then both England and France, respectively, in Donetsk at the 2012 UEFA European Championships this summer.
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Israel defensive midfielder ALMOG COHEN (8) of German club 1.FC Nuremberg, who has netted two goals in 44 Bundesliga matches since arriving from FC Maccabi Netanya in the summer of 2010, leaves Ukraine striker MARKO DEVIC (22) of FC Metalist Kharkiv flat-footed and dribbles off during the international friendly at the HaMoshava Stadium in Petah Tikvah.
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ISRAEL : Aouate – Spungin (Gabai 66′), Ben Haim, Gershon, Ben Dayan (Tzedek 87′) – Natcho, Cohen (Damari 74′) – Rafaelov (Zahavi 46′), Benayoun (Sahar 46′), Melikson – Barda (Hemad 46′)
goals — Hemed pen 55′, Sahar 63′
UKRAINE : Shovkovskiy (Dykan 46′) – Mikhalik, Khacheridi (Mandziuk 46′), Selin – Tymoshchuk, Rotan (Garmash 77′) – Gusev (Butko 90′), Yarmolenko, Konoplyanka – Voronin (Aliyev 46′), Devic (Milevskiy 46′)
goals — Gusev pen 17′, Konoplyanka 45′, Yarmolenko 61′
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Israel midfielder YOSSI BENAYOUN of English Premier League side FC Arsenal, the 31-year-old veteran who has amassed 86 caps and 24 goals for the national team in his career, looks to bypass the Ukraine defensive pair of FC Dynamo Kiev winger OLEG GUSEV (9) and midfielder RUSLAN ROTAN of FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk during the international friendly at the HaMoshava Stadium in Petah Tikva.
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MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
