Israel defeated by ten-man Belgium
Israel’s saw their hopes of automatically qualifying for next summer’s European Championships suffer a major setback on Tuesday night after they were beaten 1-0 in Jerusalem by ten-man Belgium.
Euro 2016 Qualifier Group B:
Israel 0 Belgium 1
Tuesday, 31 March, 2015
Going into the game on the back of Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat by Wales, the Israelis looked to get off to a quick start and although former Chelsea striker Ben Sahar had a half chance blocked with less than a minute on the clock, they produced a lackluster, tepid first half display.
Belgium, fielding a wealth of Premier League stars didn’t need any extra help to get the upper hand, but they got a stroke of luck when Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini bundled the ball into the back of the net in the ninth minute, however, Vincent Kompany, whose shot created the chance seemed to be in an offside position in the build-up to the goal.
Offering nothing as an attacking force in the first half, Belgium looked content to play the ball around in their own half, which led to a pretty much non-spectacle of a match.
Needing to show more attacking threat in the second half, the Israelis gave their fans something to shot about when
Eran Zahavi tested Thibaut Courtois in the Belgian goal with a couple of long-range efforts.
Their hopes of salvaging something from the game seemed to gain further momentum, when first Eden Hazard was substituted, and then in the 64th minute, Kompany was shown a second yellow card by English referee Mark Clattenburg.
However, while Israel then certainly upped the pressure, a failure to put balls into the box, instead opting to try and score the perfect goal, meant they failed to create any real notable chances, as they fell to their second home defeat in three games, and dropped down to third in the table.
Israel next travel to Bosnia in June, and if they can secure a double over the Bosnians, will move back into the top-two of the table as Wales host Belgium.
Group Standings:
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Diff | Points | |
| Belgium | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 12 | 11 |
| Wales | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 11 |
| Israel | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| Cyprus | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 10 | -1 | 6 |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | 5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 6 | -1 | 5 |
| Andorra | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 20 | -18 | 0 |
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
