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Israeli Youth Soccer Team Secures First Spot in Olympic Games in 48 Years, Qualifies for Euro Under-21 Semis
by Shiryn Ghermezian
Israel vs Georgia in the July 1 quarterfinals of the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena, Tbilisi. Photo: IMAGO/Beautiful Sports via Reuters Connect
Israel’s Under-21 soccer team has qualified for the men’s soccer tournament at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games and is advancing to the semifinals of the 2023 UEFA European Under-21 Championship after they beat Georgia on Saturday.
England defeated Portugal 1-0 in a quarterfinal match on Sunday but since it is not eligible to qualify for the Olympics, the Olympic spots were given to Israel and Spain. England itself cannot compete in the Olympics, where they will instead be represented by Great Britain and a team that will include athletes from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland.
The European Under-21 Championship is a qualifier for the Olympics, which is played at the under-23 level. Ukraine, Israel and Spain now qualify for the Paris Olympics and France, as hosts, will automatically participate. Only 16 teams will qualify to play in the men’s soccer tournament at the Paris Olympics and this will be the first time that Israel will play soccer at the Olympics since tying for fifth place at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. It will also be the the Jewish state’s third overall participation in soccer at the Olympics following an appearance also in 1968.
Israeli’s youth soccer team will advance to the semifinals of the European Under-21 Championship after defeating tournament co-host Georgia 4-3 in a penalty shoutout on Saturday at a quarterfinals match in Tbilisi, Georgia. Neither team managed to score a single goal during regular or extra time.
“We made history today,” Israel’s goalkeeper Daniel Perez told UEFA.com after the quarterfinal win. “It’s not just me. It’s all the team. I don’t think Georgia had a shot on target in 120 minutes. Amazing effort from the team, amazing tactics from the coach who believes in us so much.”
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“Congratulations on the amazing achievement!” Israel’s President Isaac Herzog tweeted, while also applauding the team’s “determination and willpower” and wishing them luck in the semifinals. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also praised the team’s achievement in a Twitter post.
