Greece and Israel meet for a 14th time
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Article summary
The teams' records in the course of 13 previous meetings would suggest that Greece should be the more optimistic side as they play host to Israel in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying Group F.
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Article body
Already familiar with each other from FIFA World Cup qualifying, Greece and Israel are set to meet again in UEFA EURO 2012 Group F, with recent encounters perhaps pointing to another 2-1 scoreline.
Match background
• Greece's record in 13 games against Israel is W6 D5 L2 (W4 D1 L1 at home).
• Greece's last three home matches against Israel – friendlies on 28 March 1990 and 24 January 1996, as well as their most recent World Cup qualifying encounter in Heraklion on 1 April 2009 – all ended in 2-1 wins for the home side.
• Israel's only victory in six trips to Greece was a 1-0 friendly success in Patras on 22 September 1976.
• The teams first locked horns on 1 November 1953 in Athens, with Greece prevailing 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier. The return fixture in Tel Aviv then produced a 2-0 victory for the away side, and that proved to be their last competitive meeting for over 50 years.
• Prior to the foundation of the state of Israel, Greece contested two World Cup qualifiers against Eretz Israel during the time of the British Mandate for Palestine, winning 3-1 in Tel Aviv on 22 January 1938 and 1-0 in Athens on 20 February the same year.