- February 5, 2026
- 6:07 pm
- Israel
Almost 4 years ago, with the start of Putin’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, a 13-year-old teenager Mark Golenkov arrived in Israel from Kyiv. A repatriate. A goalkeeper. A guy who had been training in the Ukrainian football environment and living a normal child’s life, where training was the main event of the day.
And then four years passed — and the surname Golenkov suddenly began to sound like the names of people who do the “impossible” in one moment. Not in a movie. Not in a retelling. In a real playoff match, where you have one chance — and that’s it.
How “Maccabi” from Haifa knocked out “Barcelona”
The meeting took place on February 4, 2026, at the “Gyirmót” stadium in the city of Győr, Hungary — “Maccabi” was the nominal host.
Regular time ended 2:2. But looking at the dynamics, it was a game where emotions and pressure built up in waves.
First, “Barcelona” led 1:0 — after an own goal by Gaist Arad. It seemed: everything was going according to the usual scenario, the Catalan school, control, pace.
But in the second half, “Maccabi” turned the match around. On the 70th minute, Liam Luska scored, and on the 81st — Liam Karagola. 2:1 — and there was already a feeling that the sensation was really close, just a few minutes away.
And yet “Barcelona” equalized at the very end: on 90+1 a penalty was converted by Guille Fernandez. 2:2 — and the match went to a penalty shootout.
A penalty shootout where one person became the story
Penalties are always about nerves, but in youth football, it’s also about pure psychology: who faltered, who endured, who suddenly turned out to be older than their age.
The series ended 3:1 in favor of “Maccabi”. And the key fact of this night sounds like this: goalkeeper Mark Golenkov saved three consecutive penalty kicks.
Three in a row. In a match against “Barcelona”. In the playoffs of a European tournament.
After such an episode, any team becomes a story, and any goalkeeper — a name that is remembered. Because goals — yes, are scored every week. But three consecutive saved penalties at a crucial moment — that’s a rarity that instantly becomes a legend in sports.
Who is Mark Golenkov
In this story, it’s important not only “what he did” but also “where he came from”.
Name in Hebrew: מרק גולנקוב
Date of birth: July 2, 2008.
Place of birth: Kyiv, Ukraine
Citizenship: Israel and Ukraine
Position: goalkeeper
Team: Maccabi Haifa U19
In Israel, his youth trajectory sounds like this:
- Hapoel Beer Sheva (2022–2023)
- Maccabi Haifa (since 2023)
A separate detail that explains a lot: since the age of 15, he has been living alone in the Maccabi Haifa sports boarding school. This means — discipline and regime not “at will”, but as the only way to survive in competition.
Another fact: he signed a three-year contract extension with the club and is designated as a player of Maccabi’s youth team and the Israeli youth national team. For a 17-year-old goalkeeper, this is not just a “checkmark”, but a signal: the club sees him as a project they are ready to invest in.
Why a goalkeeper becomes a symbol of such sensations
In matches against clubs of Barcelona’s level, you can have a great game, you can even score two, you can hold the score — but in the end, it often comes down to one moment. And this moment is almost always related to the one who stands last.
Penalties are a personal duel: the kicker against the goalkeeper. Without the help of partners. Without tactics. Without “covering the flank”. Your choice and his shot.
And that’s why Golenkov’s story quickly spread through the media: it’s simple, like a sports parable. “A guy from Haifa stopped the empire.” People love such formulations not because they are pompous, but because they are accurate in feeling.
The Ukrainian trace that now sounds different
Just yesterday, one could say: “yes, he’s from Kyiv, yes, he moved.” But today the Ukrainian part of the biography looks not like a background, but a foundation.
In this thread, there are two Ukrainian episodes — and both are important.
Childhood years at FC “Zirka” (Kyiv)
Mark Golenkov started playing football in Kyiv, at the children’s and youth school of the club “Zirka” (Kyiv). Already at an early age, he showed himself as a talented goalkeeper. In October 2015, seven-year-old Golenkov participated in the II International Mini-Football Tournament “Children’s Dreams” in Transcarpathia, where he represented the “Zirka” (Kyiv) team. According to the results of the competition, Mark was recognized as the “best goalkeeper” (7 years old) of the tournament, and his team won bronze medals.
In the following years, the young goalkeeper continued to play for “Zirka” in various children’s tournaments.
One of the most significant achievements was the Brașov Indoor Cup 2017 – a major international youth futsal tournament. The “Zirka” (Kyiv) team became the winner of this tournament, and Mark Golenkov again received an individual award as the best goalkeeper (9 years old) of the competition (this was reported in the organizers’ social media reports). These successes at an early stage of his career confirmed Golenkov’s reputation as one of the most promising young goalkeepers of his age.
Transition to the “Dynamo” academy (Kyiv)
Successful performances for “Zirka” attracted the attention of leading academies. In his teenage years, Mark Golenkov joined the training system of FC “Dynamo” (Kyiv).
By the fall of 2021, he was already playing for the “Dynamo” U-14 team in the Elite League of the Ukrainian Youth Football League (UYFL). In particular, on November 6, 2021, Golenkov started in the lineup in the match “Dynamo” (U14) – OK im. I. Piddubny (U14), playing to a clean sheet and helping the Kyiv team win 2:0. This result allowed the Dynamo U14 team to advance to the next stage of the Elite League from the first place in the group. Golenkov regularly appeared in the goal for his team, including in crucial matches — for example, against peers from the “Shakhtar” academy.
Playing for the “Dynamo” academy, Mark continued to progress. Although at the UYFL level individual awards for goalkeepers are rarely given, his reliable play was often noted by coaches. The official “Dynamo” website published match reports mentioning Golenkov in the lineup, confirming his role as the main goalkeeper of the U14 team.
A bit broader: why this story is not only about sports
For the Israeli audience, this victory resonates also because it’s a recognizable biography for hundreds of thousands of people.
Jews from Ukraine in recent years have gone through what is hard to describe in one phrase: anxious gatherings, moving, a new school, a new language, a new circle of friends, a new sense of home. And almost always — an attempt not to lose oneself along the way.
Sports in such stories often become not a “hobby”, but a lifeline. It gives structure, schedule, clear rules: here’s the coach, here’s the team, here’s your role. You may be confused in everyday life, but on the field, you understand again who you are.
Therefore, Golenkov’s story is not just about a “talented goalkeeper”. It’s an example of how a teenager from Ukraine, raised in Kyiv’s football culture, found a new path in Israel and did not dissolve in the move. On the contrary — he reached a level where his surname was heard beyond the country.
And here is another important detail, very “Israeli”: Haifa is a city where repatriation has always been part of the air. Here, they are used to the fact that a person can come from another world and in a couple of years become one of their own. Not by passport — by actions.
Why this match is important for “Maccabi” and the entire Israeli school
Yes, it’s the Youth League. But such games are a showcase of future lineups.
When an Israeli team knocks out “Barcelona” precisely in the format of “nerves, shots, goalkeeper”, it speaks of two things:
First: “Maccabi” has a generation that is not afraid of big names.
Second: Israel has a growing goalkeeper who can handle pressure — not in theory, but in the toughest playoff format.
And this is no longer a “beautiful episode”. It’s a statement. Such matches change how you are viewed. Scouts, coaches, opponents. Even your own — start expecting repetition.
What’s next: the main challenge begins after the sensation
The match with “Barcelona” made Golenkov a headline. But football life is tough: one evening can raise you to a level of expectations that you then have to meet for years.
For a goalkeeper, this is especially painful. A goalkeeper’s mistake is visible to everyone, it cannot be “hidden” under successful passes. And after three saved penalties, people will expect you to always be “that one”.
And yet, in this story, there is something that inspires calm: the chain of facts from the thread shows that Golenkov’s character has been building for a long time. Children’s tournaments. Ukrainian school. Matches at the level of “Dynamo” U14. Moving. Life in a boarding school. Competition in Israel. And now — an evening when you didn’t falter against “Barcelona”.
It doesn’t look like a coincidence. It looks like a result.
NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency will follow how this story develops further. Because when a guy appears in Haifa who saves three consecutive penalties against “Barcelona”, — it’s not just about football. It’s about Israel, about repatriation, about the Ukrainian trace, and about how quickly a teenager can become a symbol of an entire night.
And it seems, this is just the beginning.
