OLIM CUP SEMI-FINAL
RAANANA 0 ENGLAND FC 0 (England won on penalties)
Tal Stern described Roy Meron as the "best goalkeeper in the Olim League" after England FC set up a final showdown against Inter Tel Aviv.
Merom was at his brilliant best as England ended the double aspirations of league champions Raanana.
The air was filled with tension on Saturday night as both teams battled it out in the second semi-final. Raanana started as favourites, with leading scorer in Aviad and local under-19 star Gabby leading the line. However, England fans arrived in confident mood as they had won the most recent encounter between the sides, although they were missing some key players for the tie.
The England defence was in excellent form on the night, led by the commanding Yoni Sidi and Tomer Zaban. They did not allow Rannana any chances in the first half. Indeed it was England forward Chad Waldman who had the best chance of the first half following good work from Zac White, but he scuffed his chance wide.
England improved as the match progressed, playing with fluidity. They continued to frustrate the champions who had a golden opportunity on 80 minutes when good work between their strikes saw Gabby play in Aviad who somehow managed to fire over from three yards.
And so it went to penalties with England FC looking to repeat their heroics from their recent Pesach Cup clash against their counterparts from the UK. A commanding figure in goal, Meron pulled off two excellent saves to send his team into the final.
England captain Tal Stern said: "Our boys put in an immense shift today from back to front, and deserved to win for the heart they showed.
"A special mention to our two lions at the heart of defence, and our keeper, Roy, who was the hero of the shoot-out. I rate him as the best goalkeeper in this league.
"We put down a real marker for next season with back-to-back wins over Raanana who we fully expect will continue pushing for honours next season.
"But our main focus is now on Inter and the Cup Final - we want to bring that Cup home."
