Israel’s Under-21 soccer team punched its ticket to the European Championship quarterfinals by shocking the Czech Republic on Wednesday.
Omri Gandelman scored in the 82nd minute of the match to give Israel a 1-0 win.
The Israelis began the evening at the bottom of their group, and needed to beat the Czechs and for England, which had already qualified for the next round, to defeat Germany.
Israel will next face Georgia on Saturday.
🇮🇱 Israel qualify 🎉#U21EURO pic.twitter.com/5rwkk90ZkJ
— UEFA U21 EURO (@UEFAUnder21) June 28, 2023
Quarter-finals: Saturday 1 July & Sunday 2 July 🍿🍿🍿#U21EURO pic.twitter.com/bRtxFMQPJq
— UEFA U21 EURO (@UEFAUnder21) June 28, 2023
The success follows Israel’s historic run earlier this month at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in Argentina, where the team finished in third place.
Israel stunned the soccer world repeatedly throughout the tournament, especially with its upset of powerhouse Brazil in the quarterfinals.
Prior to the tournament, Israel had never won a FIFA World Cup match, having tied two games and lost the other in its only previous appearance in any such competition, the adult World Cup event in Mexico in 1970.
