Rosenthal, Shmuel

A versatile defender and midfielder, Rosenthal appeared in 30 full international games for the Israeli National team between 1965-1973. He scored one goal in his international career and played in the 1968 Asian Cup Championships, the 1968 Olympics, and the 1970 World Cup.

Birth and Death Dates:
unknown

Career Highlights:
Rosenthal made his debut with the Israeli National team in 1965. In 1968, he started for Israel in the 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 in three games for Israel at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics (the Olympics are not considered full international games by FIFA, soccer's governing body).

In the preliminary round, Israel defeated Ghana (5-3) and El Salvador (3-1) before falling to Hungary (2-0). Because they finished second in the group, they were able to advance to the quarterfinals where they played Bulgaria to a 1-1 tie. On a coin toss, however, it was the Bulgarians, not the Israelis, who advanced to the semifinals (Bulgaria eventually won the silver medal).

Two years later, Rosenthal was a member of the Israeli National team when they appeared in the World Cup, the only time in the country's history that they advanced to the final stage of the competition. 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.

Origin:
Israel

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