England dashes Israel’s hopes of reaching Under-21 Euro finals with 3-0 win

Manager Guy Luzon says team ‘didn’t have any goal opportunities, as much as we tried’ in semifinal; squad to play at Paris Olympics in 2024

  • England's Anthony Gordon, center, fights for the ball with Israel's Stav Lemkin, left, and Israel's Karm Jaber during the Euro 2023 U-21 Championship semifinal soccer match at the Batumi Arena stadium in Batumi, Georgia, Wednesday, July 5, 2023.(AP/Tamuna Kulumbegashvili)
    England's Anthony Gordon, center, fights for the ball with Israel's Stav Lemkin, left, and Israel's Karm Jaber during the Euro 2023 U-21 Championship semifinal soccer match at the Batumi Arena stadium in Batumi, Georgia, Wednesday, July 5, 2023.(AP/Tamuna Kulumbegashvili)
  • England's Morgan Gibbs-White reacts during the Euro 2023 U21 Championship semifinal soccer match between Israel and England at the Batumi Arena stadium in Batumi, Georgia, Wednesday, July 5, 2023.(AP Photo/Tamuna Kulumbegashvili)
    England's Morgan Gibbs-White reacts during the Euro 2023 U21 Championship semifinal soccer match between Israel and England at the Batumi Arena stadium in Batumi, Georgia, Wednesday, July 5, 2023.(AP Photo/Tamuna Kulumbegashvili)
  • England's Emile Smith Rowe, right, fights for the ball with Israel's Gil Cohen during the Euro 2023 U21 Championship semifinal soccer match between Israel and England at the Batumi Arena stadium in Batumi, Georgia, Wednesday, July 5, 2023.(AP/Tamuna Kulumbegashvili)
    England's Emile Smith Rowe, right, fights for the ball with Israel's Gil Cohen during the Euro 2023 U21 Championship semifinal soccer match between Israel and England at the Batumi Arena stadium in Batumi, Georgia, Wednesday, July 5, 2023.(AP/Tamuna Kulumbegashvili)
  • Israel's fans shout during the Euro 2023 U21 Championship semifinal soccer match between Israel and England at the Batumi Arena stadium in Batumi, Georgia, Wednesday, July 5, 2023.(AP/Tamuna Kulumbegashvili)
    Israel's fans shout during the Euro 2023 U21 Championship semifinal soccer match between Israel and England at the Batumi Arena stadium in Batumi, Georgia, Wednesday, July 5, 2023.(AP/Tamuna Kulumbegashvili)
  • Israel's Stav Lemkin, left, and Oscar Gloukh argue with referee Morten Krogh during the Euro 2023 U21 Championship semifinal soccer match between Israel and England at the Batumi Arena stadium in Batumi, Georgia, Wednesday, July 5, 2023.(AP/Tamuna Kulumbegashvili)
    Israel's Stav Lemkin, left, and Oscar Gloukh argue with referee Morten Krogh during the Euro 2023 U21 Championship semifinal soccer match between Israel and England at the Batumi Arena stadium in Batumi, Georgia, Wednesday, July 5, 2023.(AP/Tamuna Kulumbegashvili)

England beat Israel 3-0 on Wednesday to reach the final of the European Under-21 Championship. The defeat marked the end of another exciting period in Israeli soccer, following the heroics of Israel’s Under-20 team at the World Cup in Argentina earlier this summer, where Israel placed third.

In Wednesday’s semifinal in Batumi, Georgia, England’s Morgan Gibbs-White opened the scoring in the 42nd minute after missing a penalty earlier. Midway through the second half, Cole Palmer doubled the team’s lead, and Cameron Archer sealed the win with a goal in the final minute.

England will face Spain in Saturday’s final.

The top three teams in the tournament, excluding France and England, qualify for the Paris Olympics in 2024. France, as hosts, has an automatic spot, while England can’t compete in the Olympics, where they are represented by Great Britain, which combines athletes from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Israel’s U-21 squad secured its place on July 1 with a victory over Georgia.

Israel’s manager Guy Luzon told the Kan public broadcaster that the defeat Wednesday was hard to swallow. “I am very sad. We really believed we could do it. We had good tactics in the first half, but we didn’t have any goal opportunities, as much as we tried.”

“What can you do, in sports sometimes you lose. We lost to a team that is better than us,” he added, tearful.

An image of Israel U-21 Soccer team manager Guy Luzon during a tearful interview to Kan public broadcaster after the Israeli team lost to England in the Euro championship in Batumi, Georgia on July 5, 2023. (Screenshot, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Israel Professional Football League’s chairman Erez Kalfon congratulated Luzon and the players on the historic achievement. “For us, you are European champions, you have made history in Israeli soccer, and you qualified for the Paris Olympic Games next summer,” he told Kan.

Moshe Shino Zuares, chairman of the Israel Football Association, also had words of praise for the team and its coach. “This tournament brought historic achievements to Israeli soccer. We reached the quarter-final, then the semifinal, and we qualified for the Olympics for the first time in 47 years. I am proud of each and every one of our players, our professional staff and the whole delegation for smashing every possible ceiling and restoring confidence in Israeli soccer,” Zuares told Kan.

“We will continue to invest and to improve ourselves, so that we can become a regular fixture in the finals of international tournaments. I want to address a special thank you to our supporters in the stadiums who brought…the atmosphere of home, and to those who supported us from home and were with us every step of the way,” he added.

Israel’s run at the European competition continues an impressive summer for Israeli soccer following the heroics of the Under-20 team at the World Cup in Argentina last month.

Throughout that weeks-long tournament, the Israeli squad pulled off a series of improbable wins, including a shock victory over powerhouse Brazil in the quarterfinals.

This year marked Israel’s first-ever trip to the U-20 World Cup. Its lone trip to the main World Cup in 1970 ended without a single win.

AFP contributed to this report.

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