Israel advances to second round of men’s under-20 World Cup with dramatic last-minute defeat of Japan
Israel scored two goals while down a player, after one was ejected, and the winning score came in the game’s final minutes

Israel players celebrate after beating Japan at the FIFA U-20 World Cup at Mendoza Stadium in Mendoza, Argentina, May 27, 2023. (Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
BUENOS AIRES (JTA) — In its first-ever appearance in the tournament, Israel’s under-20 men’s soccer team advanced to the second round of the FIFA U20 World Cup with a last-minute goal against Japan on Saturday.
Israel was an underdog going into the match, but the victory was made even more improbable by something that happened in the 68th minute of the game: an Israeli player was ejected after receiving a second yellow card for a harsh foul. Israel proceeded to score both of its goals in the 2-1 win while down a man.
The winning goal was scored in the final few minutes of play. “This is incredible!” exclaimed the English-language announcer.
Histórico deja afuera a Japón en minuto 92 y con un jugador menos. Su primer mundial y clasifica en Mendoza Argentina #Sub20 #Israel @fifacom_es @fifaworldcup_es #FIFA @Israel @IsraelArgentina pic.twitter.com/i74o4tM131
— ITON GADOL es Israel y las comunidades judias (@Itongadol) May 27, 2023
“This is, maybe, the biggest win in the history of Israeli soccer. Historic, historic,” team manager Ofir Haim said to the Israeli Kan broadcaster after the match, with tears in his eyes.
With the victory, Israel advanced from the group stage into the knockout round, marking the first time an Israeli team has done so in any FIFA World Cup. The Israeli men’s team scored one goal in its only appearance in the general World Cup in 1970.
Israel will play Uzbekistan next, later today.
RELATED: Israel looks to make history at under-20 men’s World Cup
Jewish Argentines turned out in large numbers — at times in the thousands — to support the Israeli team in their group stage matches over the past week. In their first, a loss against Colombia, some Jewish fans shouted down a group of Colombia supporters who unfurled a Palestinian flag.
Before and during their second match, a tie with Senegal, members of the Hasidic Chabad-Lubavitch movement brought tefillin around to Jewish fans in the stands and outside the stadium in La Plata.
“This is for all of Israel, I dedicate this to you. I have no words,” Haim added.
The tournament was originally to be played in Indonesia, but FIFA, the international soccer body, stripped the country’s hosting rights after it protested Israel’s appearance in the competition.
This article originally appeared on JTA.org.
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 2
Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
- 3
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
- 4
Culture Did this Jewish literary titan have the right idea about Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling after all?
In Case You Missed It
-
Culture I have seen the future of America — in a pastrami sandwich in Queens
-
Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
-
Opinion Gaza and Trump have left the Jewish community at war with itself — and me with a bad case of alienation
-
Fast Forward Trump administration restores student visas, but impact on pro-Palestinian protesters is unclear
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.