Local Arab-Israeli star Abbas Suwan scores dramatic goal against Ireland

[Ophra]

Anybody see the game last night ?? I can't wait until the next one .

A new hero
Local Arab-Israeli star Abbas Suwan scores dramatic goal against Ireland
By Ynetnews

TEL AVIV - Residents of the Arab-Israeli town of Sakhnin were celebrating in the streets Saturday night after local hero Abbas Suwan scored a dramatic last-minute goal to lift Israel to a 1:1 draw against Ireland.

The Irish team led throughout the game after an early goal, but a powerful drive by Suwan in the 90th minute found the left corner, keeping Israel in a good position in its World Cup qualifiers pool.

In comments immediately after the game, Suwan first wished a happy Purim to all “my Jewish brothers.”
He said it was his first goal for the national team and added he hoped more will come.

Notably, Suwan was booed by Jerusalem fans in a recent friendly match against Croatia because he is Arab, an incident that prompted wall-to-wall condemnation by players and officials alike.

Saturday’s goal, however, was the appropriate answer to all those who booed, Suwan said.

“I thank everyone who cheered on the national team and made no distinction between Arabs and Jews,” he said. “Everyone hugged me in the dressing room because they remembered what happened.”

Suwan was also interviewed by CNN after the game, and repeated the same message.

‘It’s worth more than a million dollars’

Meanwhile, fireworks lit up the skies in Sakhnin, were a convoy of honking cars made its way to Suwan’s house minutes after the game ended.

Suwan’s father, Abu Ahmed, said he could not express the excitement he felt in words.

“It’s worth more than a million dollars,” he said. “The honor he brought to the town, the (Arab-Israeli) sector, and the entire country, is worth all the money in the world.”

Suwan’s wife, Tsafa, was the first to call him and congratulate him on the dramatic goal.

“You brought great joy to all your fans and to an entire nation,” she told him.
Suwan’s brother, Assam, said the family was very proud of his brother.
“It’s a great pride, to have the entire country talking about my brother,” he said. ‘You cannot ask for more.

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7...063793,00.html

[Womble]

Ahh so that's whom I have to thank for the only ending that could satisfy both me and my Irish best friend

[Ophra]

What a game .... I can't believe how emotional I got over football ??

Guess whoes next ..... FRANCE !!! ... hope we beat them 5-0 .

[tandem]

yep i saw the game, the israeli team has a lot of work to do if they want to move forward. suan is definitely a hero. i just don't understand why the crowd, or at least some in the crowd, despise him so much. there are other arab israeli players in the elite league and even on the national team and none of them have to deal with this kind of treatment.

[Womble]

What a game .... I can't believe how emotional I got over football ??

Guess whoes next ..... FRANCE !!! ... hope we beat them 5-0 .

They'll surrender before the match begins

[Ariksan]

Kudos to him he can be happy but for everyone else this whole celebration is out of place. We were very lucky at the end, but that does not excuse that this game should have been won if we want to have a chance of advancing. The result is unacceptable. Our very own coach beat us yesterday. He played something like 5-4-1 against Ireland with a defensive midfield. How stupid. Especially against Ireland who are very easy to break if they can't take control of the midfield. Instead of cultivating our own game and pressing forward the way our players are used in this system itself stops them from doing anything.

We can't beat France like that, they will slaughter us, heck, we won't even be able to beat Cyprus with this system and mentality. This stupid defensive direction has to stop if we want to achieve anything. Defense is important, but you can't sacrifice your whole game for it. We're c-r-a-p anyway in defence. Let our boys attack. This coach also doesn't know how to motivate his team which is the second half of the cake. He should go asap.

[Ophra]

They'll surrender before the match begins

"WHY IS IT THAT WE HAVE TO SPEAK ENGLISH?"

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a group of half dozen or so officers that included personnel from most of the countries.

Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked: "Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?"

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied: "Maybe it's because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn't have to speak German."

Suddenly the group became very quiet...

[Semsem]

It's really disgusting that the poor guy was booed by some hooligans at a match recently because he is Arab.

[Mira]

I'm pretty excited about any Israeli sport, but there is nothing like this kind of excitement for soccer in the US. Abbas is good looking and the guys have great legs so that's something to build on for me.

NOW GO KICK FRANCE'S ARSE!!!!!!!!!!

[KSO]

I'm pretty excited about any Israeli sport, but there is nothing like this kind of excitement for soccer in the US. Abbas is good looking and the guys have great legs so that's something to build on for me.

NOW GO KICK FRANCE'S ARSE!!!!!!!!!!

Abbas Suan is a great player because he rarely plays football (athough he can) but preffers to kick other players legs and injure them, unfortunately he won't be able to play against France so no one will kick their arse, but Israel can steal a win if they play good enough.

[NSX-R]

I hope France wins, but it wouldn't be so bad if Israel wins.

[Canajew]

I hope France wins, but it wouldn't be so bad if Israel wins.

when is the game against france, and is it on tv in toronto?

[Ophra]

Starts in 15 minutes..... I'll come back at half-time let you know how it is going .... making Pop-corn and pouring the beers !!

[Ophra]

Half time score = o/o .
Lots of tension between the players.
The crowd booed the French national anthem... not very nice
The Irish game was much better... and friendlier .

[tandem]

i thought it was very nice that they booed. the french should know they're not welcome. a year ago the french booed the israeli anthem in paris.

israel is playing good defense but they're really having a hard time getting barthez to work. the french are stronger no doubt but israel needs more self confidence if they want to win.