It was, says Ido Rakovsky, like reporting on "science fiction", rather than sport.
asserted
Rakovsky → say → fiction
Israel, whose senior team have qualified for the World Cup just once, had beaten global powerhouses Brazil in the quarter-finals of the under-20 version of the tournament.
asserted
team → qualify → tournament
At the final whistle, the commentator covering the match for Israeli television vowed "you will tell of this night to your children, and they will tell it to your grandchildren".
asserted
they → cover → grandchildren
Plenty heard him.
asserted
Plenty → hear → him
Five days later, the team's semi-final against Uruguay was the most-watched thing of the evening on Israeli television, drawing a 23% viewing share.
Politicians clamoured to congratulate the team.
asserted
Politicians → watch → team
"That summer, everybody was watching under-20 football, everybody knew the players," says Rakovsky, who was covering the team for Israeli media outlet Haaretz.
asserted
who → watch → Haaretz
"Everybody in Israel fell in love with these kids.
asserted
Everybody → fall → kids
It wasn't just their deeds on the pitch that felt otherworldly, though.
asserted
that → feel → pitch
After scoring a stoppage-time winner against Uzbekistan in the last 16, Anan Khalaili had given an interview to Israeli television.
asserted
Khalaili → score → television
In it Khalaili, an Israeli Arab, thanked the viewers back home for staying up late to watch his team win in Argentina.
asserted
team → thank → Argentina
To do so, he used the words 'Am Yisrael' - a Hebrew phrase that means 'People of Israel' and is bound up in Jewish religion, community, culture and history.
"That an Arab player used that figure of speech said something about the identity of that team," says Rakovsky.
asserted
Rakovsky → do → team
"That team made real the claim that football can really bring people together - that Muslim players are part of the national team of the Jewish state, representing Israel and creating something better, both for the present and future.
uncertain
players → make → present
"
But a little over four months after Khalaili's interview and the win over Brazil, Hamas attacked Israel.
asserted
Hamas → attack → Israel
The armed Palestinian group killed about 1,200 people and took 251 hostages.
asserted
group → kill → hostages
In response, Israel launched a massive military offensive in Gaza.
asserted
Israel → launch → Gaza
The United Nations believes the retaliation has killed more than 70,000 Palestinians.,
asserted
retaliation → believe → Palestinians
As the war goes on, can the potential of a golden generation of Israel's footballers, in sport and society, be realised?
asserted
potential → go → sport
Beaten 1-0 by eventual champions Uruguay, Israel finished third at that Under-20 World Cup in 2023.
asserted
Israel → beat → 2023
The same set of players, with a few additions and omissions, had already impressed at continental level.
asserted
set → impress → level
They were runners-up at 2022's Under-19 Euros, beaten by England in extra-time in the final, and would go on to make the semi-finals of 2023's Under-20 Euros.
asserted
They → beat → Euros
Israel has produced outstanding players in the past.
asserted
Israel → produce → past
Eyal Berkovic and Yossi Benayoun were technical, gifted attackers with long Premier League careers.
asserted
Berkovic → gift → careers
But a depth of talent, emerging together, sets the current cohort apart.
asserted
cohort → emerge → talent
Khalaili has been one of the most sought-after young prospects in Europe this summer.
asserted
Khalaili → seek → Europe
After his £21.5m move to Inter Milan fell through, Crystal Palace saw off competition from Nottingham Forest to pick him up for a similar fee from Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise.
asserted
Palace → fall → Gilloise
Playmaker Oscar Gloukh, 22, wears Ajax's number 10 shirt after his form earned a move from Red Bull Salzburg.
asserted
form → wear → Salzburg
Left-back Roy Revivo signed for Spanish club Elche on transfer deadline day this month from Maccabi Tel Aviv, while Twente defender Stav Lemkin, also 23, is also highly rated.
asserted
Lemkin → sign → Aviv
Dor Turgeman, Ilay Feingold and Idan Toklomati are impressing in Major League Soccer in the United States.
asserted
Turgeman → impress → States
All have now won full caps, but were moulded into a collective, cohesive unit - something that has often been beyond the senior side - by Israel's age-grade coach Ofir Haim.
asserted
that → win → coach
"It isn't an issue at all here," Haim said, external of the different backgrounds in his squad during the 2023 Under-20 World Cup.
asserted
Haim → say → Cup
"We don't have any problem with religion.
asserted
We → have → religion
We have players here who put on tefillin [Jewish ceremonial wear, containing verses from the Torah] - and Anan [Khalaili], Hamza [Shibli] and Ahmed [Salman] perform the Muslim prayers.
asserted
Anan → have → prayers
We don't even talk about this.
asserted
We → talk → this
We unite everybody, and I wish the country were as united as this team."
asserted
country → unite → team
Football has long been the part of Israeli society where communities mix together who may not otherwise meet.
uncertain
who → mix → society
"The majority of the Jewish people who arrived in the mandate period [a spell between 1923 and 1948 where the region was run by Britain] emigrated from Europe," says Dr Omer Einav, a historian and author of Defending the Goal, a book on Israel's football history.
asserted
Einav → arrive → history
"They were Europeans and when you think about cinema, music, theatre, dance, they had nothing in common with Middle Eastern culture.
asserted
they → think → culture
That was the only common language, the only thing they both love in the same way.
asserted
they → love → way
"
Encouraged by the British administrators who ran the region, teams from different communities, and some made up of elements of each, would play against each other.
asserted
teams → encourage → other
When the modern state of Israel was formed in 1948, much of the Arab population that remained inside its borders continued to identify as or with Palestinians.
asserted
that → form → Palestinians
…and 88 more, not listed.
The Aporia
