Israel U19 Suffers Dramatic 3-2 Defeat to Ukraine in Euro Opener
Israel's youth national team suffered a dramatic 3-2 defeat to Ukraine in their Euro 2027 qualifiers opener, conceding two late goals in the final minutes after leading twice.
Israel's youth national team suffered a painful and dramatic 3-2 defeat to Ukraine in their opening match of Group 6, League A, in the second round of the Euro 2027 qualifiers. Playing in Italy, Ofir Haim's squad showed great attacking potential, taking the lead twice before collapsing in the dying minutes and conceding two quick goals within a single minute.
The first half opened at a high tempo with Israeli dominance. In the 6th minute, Adam Grimberg rattled the Ukrainian crossbar. Four minutes later, Israel broke the deadlock when Noam Cohen pounced on a rebound after Grimberg's shot was blocked by the defense, making it 1-0. Ukraine responded quickly, leveling the score at 1-1 in the 13th minute through Oleksandr Deydov, following an assist by Patrik Sikot.
Israel regained the initiative, and in the 40th minute, Liam Luski provided an assist for Elay Ben Simon, who restored the lead to send the Blue and Whites into halftime with a 2-1 advantage. The second half continued with Israeli pressure, but goalkeeper Denys Talko stood firm for Ukraine.
The ultimate drama unfolded in the closing minutes. In the 86th minute, a corner kick by Oleksandr Tkachenko found Ivan Bahrii, who set up Deydov for his second goal of the match, tying it at 2-2. Just a minute later, in the 87th minute, another collaboration between Bahrii and Tkachenko resulted in a stunning winner by Tkachenko, sealing a cruel comeback for Ukraine.
