Maccabi Tel Aviv Youth Advance in UEFA Youth League on Penalties
Maccabi Tel Aviv advanced to the UEFA Youth League third round after beating FC Zurich 5-3 on penalties following a scoreless draw and a red card.
Maccabi Tel Aviv advanced to the third round of the UEFA Youth League on Tuesday following a dramatic penalty shootout victory over FC Zurich in Hungary.
After a 0-0 draw in regulation time and a 1-1 aggregate stalemate following last week's first leg in Switzerland, Dan Roman's side triumphed 5-3 on penalties. The achievement is particularly notable as Maccabi played with ten men for over an hour after Noam Levy received a straight red card in the 34th minute.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Maccabi continued to threaten. Elay Ben Simon hit the crossbar with a powerful free kick in the 50th minute, and goalkeeper Idan Trau secured the clean sheet, including a moment in the 73rd minute when Zurich struck the post.
In the decisive penalty shootout, Eran Ginat, Sahar Lavie, Ido Yosef, Elay Ben Simon, and Roy Gafni all converted their spot-kicks, while Zurich's Hossam Zayer missed, sealing a historic progression for the Israeli side.
