Sahar saves Israeli blushes with injury-time goal
National team scrapes 2-2 draw against Switzerland as Israeli hopes to end 40-year World Cup drought hang by thread
Hakan Yakin had put Switzerland in front a minute before halftime in Ramat Gan and FC Twente's Blaise Nkufo doubled the lead just 12 minutes into the second half.
In the 73rd minute Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun scored for Israel, and Sahar latched onto a cross just before the final whistle to complete a dramatic comeback.
Benayoun with Ludovic Magnin (Photo: Eli Elgrat)
"If you had told me before the match it would be a tie, I of course wouldn't have been happy," Benayoun said. "But the way the match developed, of course, to come back from 2-0 I think you have to give credit to the players."
Benayoun added the team would focus on the "positive things" ahead of Wednesday's qualifier in Moldova.
Israel was the better team in the first half. Benayoun came close to scoring but his shot, which went narrowly wide, had already been ruled offside by referee Henrik
Hannson.
Yoav Ziv fights off Swiss duo (Photo: Eli Elgrat)
Standard Liege's Salim Toama's free kick then forced an acrobatic save from Switzerland goalkeeper Diego Banaglio. Benayoun had the first of two penalty appeals waved away by the referee midway through the first half and Switzerland took the lead when Yakin fired in a free kick from outside the area in first-half injury time.
As the second half began Israel attacked, but the Swiss scored again through Nkufo and appeared to be in control until Benayoun scored from Sahar's cross.
Portsmouth striker Sahar then equalized with seconds to spare, sparking ecstatic celebrations from the Israel supporters
Israel and Switzerland are in Group 2, along with Greece, Luxembourg, Moldova and Latvia.
Teams:
Israel: Dudu Aouate; Yoav Ziv, Shmuel Kozokin, Tal Ben Haim, Avi Strool, Salim Toama, Baram Kayal (Moshe Ohayon 62), Yossi Benayoun, Tamir Cohen, Roberto Colatti (Ben Sahar 46), Omer Golan (Elyaniv
Barda 65).
Substitutes not used: Klemi Saban, Maor Buzaglo, Dekel Keinan, Nir Davidovitch.
Switzerland: Diego Benaglia; Stephane Lichtsteiner, Ludovic Magnin, Johan Djourou, Stephane Grichting, Benjamin Huggel, Tranquillo Barnetta (Johan Vonlanthen 71), Valon Behrami (Christoph Spycher 87), Gokhan Inler, Blaise Nkufo, Hakan Yakin (Almen Abdi 75).
Substitutes not used: Eldin Jakupovic, Alain Nef, Gelson Fernandes, Valentin Stocker.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report
