Israel knocked out of U19 Euros

Israel have been knocked out of the UEFA Women’s U19 European Championships after they were beaten 4-0 by France in Netanya on Saturday evening.

The hosts came into the game on the back of an opening day loss to Sweden, and goals from Clara Mateo, Noémie Carage, Juliane Gathrat and Marie-Charlotte Léger ensure Israel lie bottom of Group A, while France and Sweden will go through to the semi-finals.

Played in front of a record Israeli crowd at this age group – 2,600 – coach Guy Azouri said after the match: “I’m disappointed with the result but it shows the improvement of football in Israel. What those girls have done at the academy over the past two years is amazing. They were used to losing 10-0 and upwards, and now they don’t just play, they compete. They fight. They create chances. Fight for 90 minutes, to play tactically, to play with a lot of courage. I just really want them to score now!”

They complete their group campaign, as well as going in search of their first goal of the tournament, against Denmark on Tuesday.