Israel national under-21 football team

 Israel Under-21
הנבחרת הצעירה

Association	Israel Football Association
Head coach	Marco Balbul
Captain	Ataa Jaber
Most caps	Arik Benado (39)[1]
Top scorer	Alon Mizrahi (15)[2]
Home stadium	Ness Ziona Stadium
FIFA code	ISR
First colours Second colours
First international
Greece U-21 2-2 Israel U-21 (Greece; 1990)
Biggest win
Israel U-21 6-0 Austria U-21 (Israel)
Biggest defeat
Israel U-21 0-4 Spain U-21 (Israel) Israel U-21 0-4 Italy U-21 (Israel; 2013)
UEFA U-21 Championship
Appearances	2 (first in 2007)
Best result	Group Stage, 3rd Place

Israel's national Under-21 team (Hebrew: הנבחרת הצעירה של ישראל בכדורגל‎‎) is considered to be the feeder team for the Israel national football team. It has recently qualified for the European Championships to be held in the Netherlands after beating the French under-21 team 2-1 on aggregate.

This team is for Israeli players aged 21 or under at the start of a two-year UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship campaign, so players can be, and often are, up to 23 years old. Also in existence are teams for Under-20s (for non-UEFA tournaments), Under-19s and Under 17s. As long as they are eligible, players can play at any level, making it possible to play for the U-21s, senior side and again for the U-21s, as Shlomi Arbeitman has done recently. It is also possible to play for one country at youth level and another at senior level (providing the player is eligible).

The U-21 team came into existence, following the Israel's acceptance as a full member of UEFA. A draw in a qualifier against Greece in Greece was Israel U-21s' first result.

Israel U-21s do not have a permanent home. They play in stadia dotted all around Israel in an attempt to encourage fans in all areas of the country to get behind Israel. Because of the lack of appeal compared to the senior national team, smaller grounds are used (such as HaMoshava Stadium).

Competition History

There is no Under-21 World Cup, although there is an Under-20 World Cup. European U-21 teams compete for the European Championship, with the finals every even-numbered year. It will be held in odd-numbered years from 2007. Israel has never fared well in European Under-21 Football Championships.

The current campaign started shortly after the 2006 finals - the qualification stage of the 2007 competition. UEFA have decided to shift the next tournament forward to avoid a clash with senior tournaments taking place in even-numbered years. The competition has therefore been reduced as qualifying must be completed in a year's less time. In their three-team qualification group, Israel finished ahead of Turkey and Wales. In the two-legged play-off against France for a place in the final stage, the team achieved a surprising 1-1 draw in France and won the home match 1-0, with Amir Taga scoring in stoppage time.

Note: The year of the tournament represents the year in which it ends.

Competitive Record

UEFA European Under-21 Championship Record

Israel national under-21 football team at the 2013 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship

Year	Round	GP	W	D*	L	GS	GA
1992	Qualifying Stage	6	3	2	0	17	3
1994	Qualifying Stage	10	3	1	6	17	16
1996	Qualifying Stage	10	3	3	4	12	11
1998	Qualifying Stage	8	5	2	1	17	9
2000	Qualifying Stage	8	2	2	4	6	13
2002	Qualifying Stage	8	4	0	4	16	13
2004	Qualifying Stage	8	3	1	4	6	11
2006	Qualifying Stage	8	4	3	1	11	7
2007	Group Stage	5	1	1	3	3	8
2009	Qualification Playoffs	8	5	2	1	16	5
2011	Qualifying Stage	8	5	1	2	18	8
2013	Group Stage	3	1	1	1	3	6
2015	Qualifying Stage	1	1	0	0	7	2
Total	2/13	88	39	18	34	146	106

Players

Top Appearances

Rank	Player	Club(s)	Year(s)	U-21 Caps
1	Arik Benado	Maccabi Haifa, Beitar Jerusalem	1992–1995	39
2	Nir Sivilia	Maccabi Tel Aviv, Bnei Yehuda, Beitar Jerusalem	1993–1997	34
2	Shay Holtzman	Maccabi Netanya, Maccabi Haifa, Tzafririm Holon	1992–1995	34
3	Dekel Keinan	Maccabi Haifa, Bnei Sakhnin, Maccabi Netanya	2003–2007	30
4	Alon Halfon	Maccabi Netanya, Hapoel Haifa	1993–1995	29
4	Tom Almadon	Maccabi Haifa	2004–2007	29
5	Ofer Talker	Ironi Ashdod, Hapoel Haifa	1992–1995	28
6	Ofir Kopel	Maccabi Haifa	1994–1997	27
7	Lior Jan	Maccabi Tel Aviv	2006–2008	26
8	Moshe Ohayon	F.C. Ashdod	2001–2005	24

Note: Club(s) represents the permanent clubs during the player's time in the Under-21s.

Top Goalscorers

Rank	Player	Club(s)	Year(s)	U-21 Goals
1	Alon Mizrahi	Bnei Yehuda	1992–1993	15
2	Shay Holtzman	Maccabi Netanya, Maccabi Haifa, Tzafririm Holon	1992–1995	14
3	Moanes Dabour	Maccabi Tel Aviv, Grasshopper	2011–2014	13
4	Nir Sivilia	Maccabi Tel Aviv, Bnei Yehuda, Beitar Jerusalem	1993–1997	12
5	Ben Sahar	Chelsea, Espanyol	2007–2010	8
5	Maor Buzaglo	Maccabi Haifa, Hapoel Petah Tikva, Bnei Sakhnin, Maccabi Tel Aviv	2007–2010	8
6	Eli Abarbanel	Hapoel Petah Tikva	1994–1999	7
6	Amir Turgeman	Ironi Ashdod	1992–1993	7

Note: Club(s) represents the permanent clubs during the player's time in the Under-21s.

2017 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship

2017 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship qualification Group 4

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Portugal	10	8	2	0	34	5	+29	26	Final tournament
2	Israel	10	6	3	1	21	4	+17	21
3	Greece	10	4	1	5	13	14	−1	13
4	Albania	10	3	3	4	11	20	−9	12
5	Hungary	10	3	3	4	19	16	+3	12
6	Liechtenstein	10	0	0	10	1	40	−39	0

Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers

Fixtures

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Liechtenstein  v  Israel

7 June 2015 18:00

Liechtenstein	0–4	Israel
	Report	Kinda  5' Altman  49', 62' Abu Abaid  58'

Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz Referee: Giorgi Kruashvili (Georgia)

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Albania  v  Israel

3 September 2015 15:00

Albania	1–1	Israel
Çekiçi  84' (pen.)	Report	Hugi  29'

Qemal Stafa Stadium, Tirana Referee: Sergei Ivanov (Russia)

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Israel  v  Hungary

12 November 2015 18:45

Israel	3–0	Hungary
David  60' Gozlan  85' Ohana  90+2'	Report

HaMoshava Stadium, Petah Tikva Referee: Jari Järvinen (Finland)

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Israel  v  Portugal

17 November 2015 18:40

Israel	0–3	Portugal
	Report	Fernandes  28' (pen.) Silva  35' Horta  87'

HaMoshava Stadium, Petah Tikva Referee: Ola Hobber Nilsen (Norway)

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Hungary  v  Israel

24 March 2016 19:00

Hungary	0–0	Israel
	Report

Ménfői út, Győr Referee: Vilhjalmur Thorarinsson (Iceland)

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Greece  v  Israel

28 March 2016 15:30

Greece	0–1	Israel
	Report	Gozlan  74'

Peristeri Stadium, Peristeri Referee: Tihomir Pejin (Croatia)

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Portugal  v  Israel

2 September 2016

Portugal	v	Israel
	Report

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Israel  v  Liechtenstein

6 September 2016

Israel	v	Liechtenstein
	Report

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Israel  v  Greece

6 October 2016

Israel	v	Greece
	Report

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Israel  v  Albania

10 October 2016

Israel	v	Albania
	Report

Coaching staff

Position	Name
Manager	Marco Balbul
Assistant Manager	Ofer Fabian
Assistant Manager	Alon Hazan
Goalkeeper Coach	Nir Davidovich
Fitness Coach	Yossi Kakun

Current squad

The following players were named in the squad for 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match against Greece and Albania.

• Caps and goals as of 3 June 2016.

0#0	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	GK	Golan Elkaslasy	19 January 1994	11	0	Hapoel Ramat HaSharon
18	GK	Omri Glazer	11 March 1996	2	0	Maccabi Haifa
23	GK	Yarden Krishtul	19 October 1994	1	0	Hapoel Acre
2	DF	Sean Goldberg	13 June 1995	8	0	Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv
3	DF	Oren Biton	16 June 1994	4	1	Ironi Kiryat Shmona
4	DF	Ayid Habshi	10 May 1995	14	0	Maccabi Haifa
15	DF	Liran Serdal	2 July 1994	5	0	Hapoel Haifa
17	DF	Shahar Piven	21 September 1995	0	0	Beitar Tel Aviv Ramla
5	MF	David Keltjens	11 June 1995	6	0	Beitar Jerusalem
6	MF	Dor Peretz	11 May 1995	9	1	Maccabi Tel Aviv
7	MF	Maxim Plakuschenko	4 January 1996	5	1	Hapoel Haifa
8	MF	Neta Lavi	25 August 1996	5	0	Maccabi Haifa
9	MF	Michael Ohana	4 October 1995	8	4	Hapoel Be'er Sheva
11	MF	Or Inbrom	12 January 1996	3	0	F.C. Ashdod
12	MF	Tambi Sagas	21 October 1995	5	0	Bnei Sakhnin
14	MF	Ido Davidov	23 November 1994	7	0	Ironi Kiryat Shmona
16	MF	Eliel Peretz	18 November 1996	4	1	Maccabi Tel Aviv
19	MF	Eden Shamir	25 June 1995	1	0	Ironi Kiryat Shmona
20	MF	Omri Altman	23 March 1994	18	8	Hapoel Tel Aviv
21	MF	Moti Barshazki	6 September 1996	2	1	Hapoel Ramat Gan
10	FW	Shoval Gozlan	25 April 1994	13	5	Maccabi Haifa
13	FW	Dean David	14 March 1996	9	1	F.C. Ashdod
22	FW	Dor Hugi	10 July 1995	11	3	Hapoel Ra'anana

Recent callups

The following players have been called up for the team within the last 8 months:

Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club	Latest call-up
GK	Mahadi Zuabi	13 February 1995	0	0	Ironi Kiryat Shmona	v.  Serbia, 2 June 2016
DF	Omer Danino	17 February 1995	4	0	Maccabi Petah Tikva	v.  Serbia, 2 June 2016
DF	Eli Balilty	23 February 1992	1	0	Ironi Kiryat Shmona	v.  Serbia, 2 June 2016
DF	Dudu Twito	6 February 1994	2	0	Maccabi Sha'arayim	v.  Portugal, 17 November 2015
DF	Ben Grabli	8 April 1994	1	0	Hapoel Kfar Saba	v.  Liechtenstein, 17 November 2015
DF	Yuval Yosipovich	22 February 1994	1	0	Hapoel Petah Tikva	v.  Liechtenstein, 17 November 2015
DF	Yarin Hassan	22 March 1994	1	0	Maccabi Netanya	v.  Portugal, 17 November 2015
DF	Gal Dvir	20 March 1994	1	0	Maccabi Herzliya	v.  Poland, 8 October 2015
DF	Eyad Abu Abaid	31 December 1994	8	1	Maccabi Haifa	v.  Portugal, 2 September 2016
MF	Ben Reichert	4 March 1994	7	1	Hapoel Tel Aviv	v.  Poland, 8 October 2015
MF	Adi Konstantinos	11 September 1994	3	0	Hapoel Jerusalem	v.  Liechtenstein, 17 November 2015
MF	Dolev Haziza	5 July 1995	1	0	Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv	v.  Liechtenstein, 17 November 2015
MF	Yaniv Brik	28 May 1995	0	0	Maccabi Haifa	v.  Cyprus, 26 March 2015
MF	Raz Cohen	11 November 1994	0	0	Hapoel Kfar Saba	v.  Poland, 8 October 2015
MF	Gadi Kinda	1 January 1994	16	1	F.C. Ashdod	v.  Hungary, 24 March 2016
MF	Ataa Jaber	3 October 1994	8	2	Maccabi Haifa	v.  Greece, 28 March 2016
MF	Ismaeel Ryan	24 April 1994	6	0	Maccabi Haifa	v.  Greece, 28 March 2016
MF	Ramzi Safouri	21 October 1995	6	0	Bnei Sakhnin	v.  Serbia, 2 June 2016
FW	Niv Zrihan	24 May 1994	1	0	F.C. Ashdod	v.  Albania, 3 September 2015
FW	Yonathan Cohen	29 June 1996	1	0	Bnei Yehuda Tel Aviv	v.  Liechtenstein, 17 November 2015
FW	Avishay Cohen	19 June 1995	0	0	Beitar Jerusalem	v.  Albania, 3 September 2015
FW	Oz Peretz	19 April 1994	2	0	Maccabi Petah Tikva	v.  Greece, 28 March 2016
FW	Ezaat Khlayli	27 March 1994	1	0	Hapoel Acre	v.  Serbia, 2 June 2016
FW	Sagiv Yehezkel	21 March 1995	2	0	Maccabi Tel Aviv	v.  Portugal, 2 September 2016

See also

• UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
• Israel national football team

References

1. http://football.org.il/NationalTeam/Pages/NationalTeamAppearance.aspx?NATIONAL_TEAM_ID=943&PAGE_NUM=1
2. http://football.org.il/NationalTeam/Pages/NationalTeamCaptivate.aspx?NATIONAL_TEAM_ID=943&PAGE_NUM=1

External links

• Uefa Under-21 website Contains full results archive
• The Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation Contains full record of U-21 Championship hosts and additional statistics, such as the Group Winners table for the 1998 qualifiers.