Israel's Youth Handball Team Falls to Portugal, Moves to Lower Group
Israel lost 30:22, finishing the preliminary stage with one point. The team will now fight to avoid relegation and secure a spot in the World Championship.
The Israel youth handball team lost 30:22 to Portugal on Saturday, finishing the preliminary group stage of the European Championship in Belgrade, Serbia, with one point.
Israel will now compete in the lower group, aiming to reach the ranking matches for 9th–16th places, as the top 14 teams qualify for the World Championship. A critical objective for the Israeli squad is to avoid finishing in the bottom four, which would result in relegation.
In the match itself, after trailing 2:0 early on, Yonatan Pelach scored his first goal, and by the 11th minute, he had netted three, tying the game at 6:6. Despite an 8:6 deficit, the team enjoyed a strong period; goalkeeper Ruben Oanunu made several key saves and scored a goal to give Israel a 9:8 lead. Dagani extended the lead to 10:12, and Masika made it 11:13. However, the momentum shifted back to Portugal, and the teams were tied 15:15 at halftime.
In the second half, the gap in quality became apparent. Pelach narrowed the score to 17:16, but later fatigued and missed penalties. The defense struggled to stop the Portuguese attack, which scored with ease, contrasting with the low shooting percentage of the Israeli team.
This evening, following the match between Croatia and the Czech Republic, the team will learn whether it finishes in third or fourth place, which will determine its opponents for the intermediate group stage on Monday and Tuesday.
