Benayoun leads Israel past Malta

(GSM) – Three goals from Yossi Benayoun were enough for Israel to beat Malta and get their European Championships qualifying under way on the right note.

Following Estonia’s 2-1 win over Faroe Islands last month, Israel and Malta were the next two teams to get things going in qualifying.

Benayoun, who recently left Liverpool for Premiership rivals Chelsea, netted the opener on seven minutes but had his goal canceled out by Malta’s Jamie Pace in the 38th.

But Benayoun had the final say at Tel Aviv’s Ramat Gan stadium, restoring the advantage in the 64th minute before adding a third in the 75th.

The other four teams in Group F play on Friday with Latvia hosting Croatia while Georgia visit Greece.