can you belive this

Hapoel TA beats AC Milan 1-0 in UEFA Cup quarterfinal clash

By Asher Goldberg, Ha'aretz Correspondent





Hapoel Tel Aviv fans voicing support for their team in downtown Nicosia on Thursday.
(Photo: AP)

Hapoel Tel Aviv beat AC Milan 1-0 in Thursday's UEFA cup quarterfinal first leg against AC Milan. Sergei Clescenco scored the winning goal in the 35th minute.

An airborne army of Hapoel Tel Aviv fans invaded Cyprus for the match, with around 3,000 thought to have made the 45-minute flight from Ben-Gurion International Airport. The stadium also hosted around 7,000 local fans, many cheering for the Israeli side.

The match, which began at 9 P.M. (Israel time), was broadcast live on Channel One Television and cable sports channel 5+.

Hapoel coach Dror Kashtan and his players looked and sound ready for the team's first-ever appearance in the quarterfinal of a European competition. The players held an afternoon training session Thursday at the GSP Stadium in Nicosia, the venue Hapoel selected after the competition's organizers declared Israel unsafe to hold international soccer matches.

Shimon Gershon was adamant Wednesday that despite the surreal setting of the GSP, Hapoel was confident.

"We're going into this game with sky-high motivation," said Hapoel's influential defender.

"It's true that we've lost Bloomfield, which has a special significance for us, but our task is to avoid conceding a goal. I know everything about all the Milan players, and I have seen almost all their games this season. Together with the coach's work, we are all ready and raring to go."

According to AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti, Gershon is one of Hapoel's most important and threatening players.

"I'd like to show him he's right," says Gershon. "For me, beating Milan would be a dream. We may be wearing the red of Hapoel Tel Aviv, but I feel like we're playing for the entire country."

Kashtan made three changes to the team that beat Parma in Italy earlier this month, with Shavit Elimelech, Assi Domb and Clescenko back in the starting line-up after suspensions and injuries.

 

What I can't believe is you thinking we would give a shit

 

I can't believe anything.

 

Let me run it through my Dukie interpreter...

If article content is positive for UNC, or negative for Duke, automatically don't believe it.

If it has to do with Israel, and is "readable", partial credibility until confirmed by an independent source.

But my DukieDefault is NOOOOOOOOOOOO!

I still think Dukie is Grid pretending to be a Heel...