Israel makes moot point in win against England

Israel overcame England 1-0 Tuesday night in a game for pride only, while Italy and Norway’s match ended in a 1-1 draw as Group A ended its play in UEFA’s Under-21 Championship tournament, held in Israel.

After three matches of preliminary play, Italy and Norway moved on to the semifinals, where they will face Spain and Holland. Israel finished third and England fourth in the group, as both were earlier eliminated from the competition.

Ofir Krieff’s 81st-minute goal for Israel provided the lone score in an otherwise calm and uneventful match.

Both teams played at a relaxed pace in the first half, as they provided a backdrop for a massive social gathering at the Teddy Stadium. Families, hardcore soccer fans, and at least one platoon of IDF soldiers all enjoyed  the spectacle in the gentle breeze as the sun set in the background of a game between two teams that knew their tournament run was over.

Israel had a few chances in the first 45 minutes, but failed to ever seriously threaten the English goal. Goalkeeper Boris Kleyman made two magnificent saves in the 33rd minute, stopping England from scoring in the best opportunity of the half.

Captain Nir Biton had Israel’s first chance in the second half, when a powerful 56th-minute strike from outside the box grazed the crossbar after it was deflected by England’s Jason Steele.

Krieff’s goal came after the Israeli team held onto the ball and controlled the midfield, allowing it to build up its attack — which ended in an accurate strike to the lower right corner from just outside the box.

England entered the match knowing no result would send it through to the semifinals, and while Israel had a theoretical chance of advancing, the result was far from the 4-goal victory needed.

At Netanya’s stadium, the match between Italy and Norway ended in a draw, after both teams scored in the last minutes of playing time.

Through the first half of the game, the battle for first place in Group A heated up. The Italians — without star striker Lorenzo Insigneo and midfielder Marco Verratti — had several opportunities to score, despite missing key players.

In the 35th minute, midfielder Fausto Rossi had a great chance to head the ball in, but Norwegian goalkeeper Arild Østbø deflected the shot at the very last second. A few minutes later, Italy’s Mattia Destro fired a shot at goal and once again was denied by Østbø.

With both teams’ near perfect chance of advancing, both managers decided to make several substitutions in the beginning of the second half, giving all their players opportunity to play.

Italy might have had their best chance to score in the 57th minute when Mattia Destro received an open ball in the field and quickly curled around the Norwegian goalkeeper, but missed hitting a wide-open net.

In the 64th minute, the Norwegians had a great opportunity to score when Vegar Hedenstad’s strong free kick hit the top crossbar and flew over.

In the 88th minute, the Norwegians were awarded a controversial penalty kick when a foul was called on Italian Marco Capuano. Captain Stefan Strandberg nailed the penalty to give the Norwegians a 1-0 lead.

Seconds before the match ended, Italian Andrea Bertolacci scored and gave Italy a much deserved tie. With that goal, the Italians were assured first place in Group A and will face the runner-up in Group B in the semi-finals clash, set to kick off June 15 at 9:30 in Petah Tikva. The Italians will learn who they face after Wednesday’s final matches in Group B.