Afek impresses on debut

Lithuania 2-4 Israel
Hapoel Tel-Aviv midfield player Omri Afek scored twice on his debut tonight as Avraham Grant kicked off his reign as Israel coach with a win over Lithuania.

Action-packed
The away side honed their preparations for the EURO 2004™ qualifying campaign, where they meet Cyprus, France, Malta and Slovenia in Group 1, in an action-packed encounter, producing a tremendous second-half performance after Lithuania twice went ahead before the break.

See-saw start
Lithuania took the lead on ten minutes when the Israel defence failed to clear a corner and Dudu Awat was beaten by a a Arturos Fomenka header. The visitors, however, levelled when Afek hit his first after an assist from Haim Revivo. Just two minutes later Lithuania went ahead again through Robertas Poskus.

Half-time rally
Grant struck the right notes in his half-time team talk as Israel came out invigorated, Everton FC's Idan Tal releasing winger Michael Zandberg to score after a fine run.

Killer strikes
Kfir Udi then unleashed a fierce shot after a dipping cross from substitute Alon Harazi and Afek buried the rebound from the keeper. Tal headed the fourth from close range after an assist from Walid Badier.

Lithuania dates
Lithuania will meet the Faroe Islands, Germany, Iceland and Scotland in EURO 2004 ™qualifying Group 5.

Grant delight
Grant was delighted with the commitment showed by his new charges. "Everyone should know back home that the players who spent four days here, gave it their best and showed a lot of character," he said. "We proved that we have a lot of young talent and a very bright future."

Goal hero
Meanwhile, Afek reflected on one of the most memorable evening of his career. "This was one of those matches you dream of," he said. "I could hardly sleep last night. To score twice and to win is beyond my wildest dreams."