Israeli soccer fans were thrilled last night when the Maccabee Haifa soccer team reached a 3-3 tie with their Austrian opponents, enabling it to become the first Israeli team ever to reach the European Championship League. President Moshe Katzav congratulated the team, saying that the "important accomplishment contributes to the morale of the People of Israel and the State of Israel." Maccabee's first European challenge will be Manchester United of Great Britain, in some three weeks' time.