PARIS, France — Liel Abada and the Israeli men's soccer team aimed to get a win Saturday in their second game at the Paris Olympics. They hit the pitch to take on Paraguay earlier in the day.
However, Abada and Israel were unable to come up with a win, as Paraguay won 4-2.
Marcelo Fernandez, a forward, scored the first goal of the match 25 minutes in, assisted by defender Ronaldo de Jesus. Israel was able to answer in the second half, however. Midfielder Omri Gandelman found the net with assistance from defender Stav Lemkin, tying it up 1-1 at the 53-minute mark.
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Paraguay responded in kind, with a goal from midfielder Julio Enciso assisted by fellow midfielder Diego Gomez, lifting Paraguay to 2-1 at the 69-minute mark.
A penalty kick from Israel at the 80-minute mark tied it up again as Oscar Gloukh, a midfielder, kicked it in.
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Paraguay, however, would not only break the tie but seal the match for them. Fabian Balbuena, a defender, was able to find the net with an assist from Gomez three minutes into stoppage time. Fernandez also made his second goal of the match just three minutes later.
Israel was unable to catch up, and the match ended after 14 minutes of stoppage time tacked on.
Abada and Israel aren't out of the Games yet; they will face Japan Tuesday, July 30 at 3 p.m. Eastern time. That match will be available to stream in the U.S. only on Peacock.
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Abada hails from Petah Tikva, Israel, and plays as a forward for Charlotte FC.
He came to the Queen City in 2024 after playing three seasons with Celtic in the Scottish Premiership. He scored 21 goals for Celtic and has netted four goals with Charlotte FC.
Israel has made its first Olympics appearance in football since 1976. Abada's Israel team played Mali on Wednesday, July 24, ultimately reaching a draw at 1-1.