Israel hasn’t qualified for the World Cup in 56 years, but the Israeli Premier League still sends representatives to every tournament. Four players from various league clubs were called up to the current tournament in North America—until Panama’s match, none had actually played.
1+Christian Martínez, who plays for Ironi Kiryat Shmona, took the field early Thursday morning in Panama’s colors against Ghana. Martínez became the first Israeli league player to feature in a World Cup match since 2014, when John Ishnawa Belema of Nigeria played for M.S. Ashdod.
Martínez started for the South American side and played 67 minutes, involved in several Panamanian attacks. In the 60th minute, a loose ball fell to the midfielder in an excellent scoring position, but he couldn’t convert the golden opportunity. Seven minutes later Martínez was subbed off after recording his first-ever World Cup appearance. Ghana scored in the 95th minute, handing Panama a painful stoppage-time defeat.
1+Pantsil’s Flag Wave
The most memorable story of an Israeli league player at the World Cup was John Pantsil’s emotional moment at the 2006 tournament. The Ghana defender, who played for Maccabi Tel Aviv at the time, pulled out an Israeli flag during celebrations after a 2-0 victory over the Czech Republic. In an interview later, he said: “Waving the flag? I would do it again.”