Didier Deschamps will return to Israel next fall in the League of Nations, 31 years after an unexpected victory for the Israeli selection at the Parc des Princes. This resulted, a month later on the same field, in France’s non-qualification for the 1994 World Cup.
Golazo, the Sports.fr podcast, returns in its new episode to the history of the national teams of Israel and Palestine. While the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has taken a tragic turn since last October, with the Hamas attack then the bombing of the Gaza Strip, the Palestine selection won its first match in history in the Asian Cup. nations, this January 23.
Israel, for its part, is preparing to compete in the Euro 2024 play-offs (semi-final against Iceland on March 21), will then play the men’s football tournament of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, this summer in Hexagon, and will also challenge Kylian Mbappé’s French team during the next group stage of the League of Nations, on October 10 (probably in Budapest) and November 14 (in France).
Deschamps decisive passer against Israel
October 10, in 1993, was also the date of a terrible defeat for the Blues against Israel (2-3), at the Parc des Princes, during the penultimate day of the 94 World Cup qualifiers. Gérard Houllier’s players did not have to lose to qualify, they led 2-1 thanks to long-range strikes from Franck Sauzée (29th) and David Ginola (39th), with Didier Deschamps decisive passer, before sinking at the end match, with goals conceded in the 83rd and 93rd!
It was then a real humiliation, because Israel, for its first qualifiers as a UEFA nation, had not won any of its first 8 matches!
The France of captain Jean-Pierre Papin, with future world champions 98 Bernard Lama, Laurent Blanc, Marcel Desailly, Bixente Lizarazu, Emmanuel Petit and Youri Djorkaeff (in addition to “La Dèche”), of course missed the World Cup a month later, losing on November 17, 93, still on PSG ground, against Bulgaria (1-2), taking this famous goal from Emil Kostadinov in the 90th minute…
