Uc_Hilal

Sport:
soccer

Country Represented:
Israel

Years Competed:
1968

Olympic Info:
Rosenthal was a member of the Israeli soccer team that reached the quarterfinals and finished fifth at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. A defender and midfielder, Shmuel appeared in 3 games for Israel during the Olympic tournament. He started at defense and played the entire way in Israel's two victories in the preliminary round, over Ghana (5-3) and El Salvador (3-1). He did not, however, play in their 2-0 loss to Hungary in their final preliminary game. Their two victories in the group proved to be enough to advance the Israeli team to the quarterfinals. In the quarters, they faced Bulgaria team -- Rosenthal played the entire game at midfield -- and the match ended in a 1-1 tie. To determine the winner (who advanced to the next round), a coin toss was used, and the Bulgarians, not the Israelis, advanced to the semifinals (Bulgaria eventually won the silver medal).

Career Highlights:
Rosenthal was a member of the Israeli national team in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He was a starter in the 1968 Asian Championships, and scored a goal in Israel's 4-1 semifinal victory over Taiwan; in the final, the Israelis lost to Iran, 2-1. Rosenthal also played on the 1970 World Cup team that advanced to the final stage, the only time in Israel's history that its national team has advanced to the final tournament. In their group, Israel lost to Uruguay (2-0), tied Sweden (1-1), and tied Italy (0-0), but did not advance past the preliminary group.

Birth and Death Dates:
b. April 22, 1947

Origin:
Israel

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