Hapoel coach hails "greatest ever" Israeli win

Hapoel Tel Aviv were celebrating Israeli soccer's "greatest ever" victory on Thursday after beating AC Milan 1-0 in their UEFA Cup quarter-final first leg on Thursday.

The tie was moved to Nicosia in Cyprus after UEFA ruled that Israel was too dangerous a venue for international games during the current volatile security situation.

"It is the greatest ever victory for an Israeli team," Hapoel coach Dror Kashtan said.

"This group of players has brought great honour to Israel and a smile to the faces of the Israeli public during these difficult times back home."

Helicopters hovered overhead with search lights scouring the stadium and its surroundings as over 1,000 police and undercover units ensured the security of the match.

A 32nd-minute strike by diminutive Moldovan striker Sergei Clescenco, volleying in from an acute angle on the left from a Yossi Abuksis corner, undid Milan, five times European champions.

Hapoel are the first Israeli club to reach this stage of the UEFA Cup -- the side claimed the scalps of England's Chelsea and Italy's Parma on their way to the last eight.

Kashtan said the players deserved all the accolades which the Israeli public were sure to heap on them when they return home on Friday.

With Cyprus only 40 minutes by air from Tel Aviv, some 3,500 Hapoel fans were able to make the journey to support their side. Only five Milan fans made the trip.

"Despite the fact that we were forced to play this game away from home, the wonderful support of the fans really helped," Kashtan said.

CONSTANT CHANTING

The fans' constant chanting in the ambient 25,000 seat stadium gave the team a comfortable feeling of playing at home. Some 17,000 would have been present had the match been played at their Bloomfield ground in Tel Aviv.

There were no Milanese supporters visible in the stadium and the other side of the ground was occupied by a few hundred local spectators who watched in relative silence.

Kashtan said his players had been ready for the challenge of AC Milan.

"We were well prepared for this game even though our boys were facing one of the best teams in the world and some of the most famous players," he said.

Milan piled plenty of pressure on the Israelis, but Hapoel soaked it up with assuredness which belied their status as a minor side in the competition.

The Italian outfit's best chance came in the 54th minute when Massimo Ambrosini's header was brilliantly parried off the line by Hapoel keeper Shavit Elimelech, who had another excellent game.

"Hapoel played very well but at the San Siro the result could be different," AC Milan coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "We had our chances but the ball refused to go in."